A Richmond Tesla owner is seeking compensation from Tesla’s Vancouver service centre after the sensor for his charging port stopped working right after a repair session.
Richmond resident Chen Shen scheduled a repair with a Tesla mechanic after his taillight came loose during a car wash.
But after a mechanic came by his house for a 30-minute session on May 1, he noticed a new problem.
The charging port on his car had stopped responding.
“The charging port worked the night before (the mechanic) came. We used the charging cable to charge the vehicle. And then it worked in the morning, like the day he came,” said Shen.
“And then it failed right after he left. And it’s been working for five years and no problem at all.”
Shen went to the Vancouver service centre on West 4th Avenue the next day to complain but claimed he didn’t get a satisfactory response.
“They said, ‘Oh no, that’s a coincidence,’” Shen told the Richmond News, adding that he was told there was “no possibility” that the mechanic had damaged the charging port.
Shen was told that there were two different parts for the taillight and the charging sensor.
He told the News that while he can still charge the car, he has been inundated with error messages on his screen, warning of issues with his charging port sensor. He also received an estimate from Tesla for $1,276.80 to replace the charging port.
The News reached out multiple times to Tesla and the Vancouver service centre for comment but have yet to receive a response.
Shen filed an application with the Civil Resolution Tribunal at the beginning of the month and is seeking compensation of $1,276.80 from Tesla.
He told the News that the issue has been “very annoying,” adding that his warranty had expired two months prior.
“I called (the) technician like four or five times for just minor issues on the vehicle because (it’s) a Tesla. There (were) so many problems with the vehicle before,” said Shen.
He recalled having to replace both his taillights for water damage, as well as other issues with his Falcon door.
“Many problems with the car. So we have to call them once in a while. So very, very annoying.”
