It turns out Tesla’s sleek Model S sedan is far from perfect.
Although Consumer Reports called the luxury electric car “the best” it ever tested last year, earning a score of 99 out of a possible 100, the magazine said further tests show the Model S has more than its share of glitches.
“Car nut or not, EV fan or not, everyone has raved about this car, impressed with its smoothness, effortless glide, and clever, elegant simplicity. In that time, it’s also displayed a few quirks — some unique to Tesla,” the magazine wrote in a blog post Monday.
Consumer Reports, run by a nonprofit organization that accepts no advertising, said that after it continued to drive the test car for 15,743 miles, it uncovered minor defects that “merit some reflection.”
The biggest problem: Just before the car went in for its annual service at 12,000 miles, the center screen went blank, “eliminating access to just about every function of the car.”
Other problems included:
* automatic-retracting door handles that were “occasionally reluctant to emerge,” making it difficult to open the doors.
* a front trunk lid that didn’t respond to the release.
* a Tesla-supplied adapter for non-Tesla EV chargers that came apart.
Consumer Reports said most of the issues were covered by Tesla’s generous warranty for the Model S, which comes with a starting sticker price of $71,000.
Last month, an Edmunds.com reviewer also dinged Tesla for more than two dozen quirks, including the same problem with the primary display going blank.
Shares of the electric car company, led by Elon Musk, were down 1.5 percent, or $3.89, to $255.43 at 11:20 a.m. in New York trading.
Tesla didn’t respond to Consumer Reports.