Tesla has shipped some of its new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles without USB ports because of the global chip shortage, the electric car manufacturer has told new buyers, as customers who couldn’t charge their devices blasted Elon Musk’s company.
Since November 11, the number of complaints on the lack of USB-C ports from new Tesla owners on Facebook and Reddit, as well as on the Tesla Motors Club forum, has been on the rise.
However, it remains unclear how widespread the problem is.
The average price for a brand new Model 3 costs $43,990 while the Model Y starts at $54,990, though there is also a Performance version that carries a starting price at $61,990.
Tesla would not not comment publicly but new customers who have complained have said that the company blamed the missing feature on the global chip shortage.
‘Just got a call from Tesla about my Model Y LR. I am set to take delivery tomorrow, and apparently there are no USB ports installed in the car due to shortage,’ a Tesla Model Y owner wrote on Reddit. ‘I guess I’m looking for reassurance that the car is actually ready to go and wondering if anyone else has taken delivery on an ‘incomplete’ car like this.’
Some new Tesla vehicles that were shipped in November are missing USB ports, according to social-media posts
The shortage has caused a major delay in manufacturing activity, with automakers cutting down on production and electronic device makers struggling to keep up with a pandemic-led surge in demand for phones, TVs and gaming consoles
Social media users said Tesla replaced the ports with holes without warning them. However its support team told them it’s because of a global shortage of USB chips.
Tesla’s missing USB ports issue is the supply chain challenges that the company has warned about for months, as the pandemic continues to make some parts difficult to source
In a more recent update, the Model Y owner said the USB-C port in the front and center console of their car was missing, but that some were located in the area of the back seats and a USB-A in the glove compartment.
Yet, the wireless charging pad, located between the two front seats didn’t work. Without these ports, the wireless charging feature in the cars cannot be activated.
Some of the affected buyers were told about the issue ahead of time, while others only found out about it on their own, sometimes once they finally received their new car.
Tesla has told new buyers they could schedule a service appointment to have the remaining missing ports installed in their vehicle ‘hopefully sometime in next few weeks.’
Each dock of Tesla’s wireless phone charger is powered by its own USB-A cable plugged into the ports located in the front of the Model 3’s center console. If the ports don’t work then the car loses one of its key features
A Twitter user took a picture of the missing USB port in his brand new Tesla and said that support will install them when they are back in supply, although he didn’t specify whether it was going to be free, as anticipated
A user took to Facebook to express his dismay for paying $70,000 for a brand new Tesla that has some missing some parts
Just Holes: Another Facebook user said that he ‘loves the car’ but that there are no USB ports under one of his arm’s rest. Other users also shared that the wireless charging function wasn’t working
According to Electrek, Tesla’s customer service has told concerned customers that there’s a possibility to schedule a service appointment as soon as the parts are made available. The electric-vehicle-market-centric website indicated that Tesla should be receiving more parts sometime in December.
Tesla has told owners who are missing the feature that the retrofit and installation of the USB ports would be free.
Dailymail.com has reached out to Tesla for comment.
The global chip shortage has been affecting the auto industry for the last year or so, though Tesla has managed to avoid the worst of it.
Across the US, the median prices of used and new cars continue to climb and the inventories of local car dealers are going down.
Many car manufacturers have had to halt production or wait longer than usual for parts to complete nearly-finished vehicles.
Some automakers have even gone as far as shipping cars without certain built-in parts, including Tesla, which removed passenger lumbar support adjustment from new Model 3 and Y vehicles.
Tesla, like many other automakers, has seen its production stall due to a shortage of car parts
BMW is also doing the same thing on its latest releases, and is also taking out touchscreens from new cars, but is giving a $175 and $500 credit, respectively.
Japan’s Toyota, which had previously managed to avoid shutdowns by stockpiling chips, said it would be forced to slash production globally by 40 per cent back in September.
The firm owns 11 plants across the country, including in states such as California, Texas, and Kentucky, although it did not specify whether those would be affected.
Germany’s Volkswagen said it could not rule out further changes to production, due to ‘volatile’ chip supplies.
Meanwhile Citroen and Fiat owner Stellantis said it would halt or cut production at two plants in France.
US giant Ford had also said earlier this week that it would halt production of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck in Kansas City.
In some cases, the ongoing disruption has forced car companies to divert components to their most profitable models. Bosses warned that more disruption is expected.