Tesla Sued for Pricey, Lengthy Repairs

Tesla customers have sued the company, saying they’ve been forced to pay exorbitant prices and endure long waits for car repairs because of the company’s monopolization of replacement parts and maintenance services.

The proposed class-action suit, Lambrix v. Tesla, was filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court on behalf of Virginia M. Lambrix, who owns a Tesla Model S.

Her lawsuit points out that owners of combustion engines have the option of taking their vehicles for repair to the dealership or to auto repair shops. They even can do the work themselves. And original manufacturer or after-market parts can be used to repair the vehicles.

But with Tesla models, owners can get their cars serviced only by the company or a network of Tesla-approved service centers that use only Tesla parts, according to the complaint. Lambrix argues that the limitation is because Tesla wants to leverage its market power to restrain repair and maintenance services.

The lawsuit alleges that the practices have caused Tesla owners “to suffer lengthy delays in repairing or maintaining their electric vehicles, only to pay supra-competitive prices for those parts and repairs once they are finally provided,” according to the complaint.