OPEN HOURS MON–FRI | 9AM–6PM
Facebook-f Instagram X-twitter Linkedin-in Threads
Free Evaluation

Case result · Suspension

Tesla Bought Back a Brand-New Model Y – $46,446 Recovered

First defect logged at 109 miles. Five repair visits later, Tesla took the car back.

Get a free case review Prefer to talk? Call now(818) 553-1000

$46,446recovered for the client
1.01xthe statutory refund
15countable days out of service
5repair visits

The math

What this client actually received

Every figure below comes from the settlement documents in this case. Nothing is rounded up, and nothing is left out.

What the client received

Statutory refundThe formula written into the Song-Beverly Act $46,169.25
Registration and feesOut-of-pocket costs refunded on top plus$277.00
Paid to the client $46,446.25
Attorney fees$0Paid by the manufacturer, not the client
Vehicle
2023 Tesla Model Y
VIN
7SAYGAEE2PF••••••
Bought
New
Contract
Cash purchase
Miles at delivery
24
Price
$51,130.00
Manufacturer
Tesla, Inc.
Outcome
Buyback
  • $46,446.25 recovered
  • 5 repair visits
  • First visit at 109 miles
  • Client paid $0 in fees

The case

Leaking left-rear strut / rear suspension noise on a brand-new vehicle

Our client paid cash, $48,276, for a brand-new 2023 Model Y. It arrived with inoperative auto wipers, misaligned trim, a scratched drive-mode stalk, and paint defects. It went to the service center for the first time with 109 miles on the odometer.

What sounded like a minor clicking noise from the trunk turned out to be a leaking left-rear suspension strut. Along the way, technicians also found under-torqued seat bolts, a pinched second-row wiring harness, a rattling B-pillar seat-belt panel, and trunk trim that would not stay seated. A leaking strut is not a noise problem, it is a suspension defect on a vehicle that was weeks old.

The repair record

15 countable days out of service

Five service visits. 21 total days in the shop, 15 of them countable under California lemon law, 8 on days when every open issue was dealer-verified. The strut problem alone took three visits before the leaking strut was finally found and replaced.

  1. 017 days

    109 miles

    Brand-new car delivered with inoperative auto wipers, misaligned trim, scratched drive-mode stalk, paint micro-scratches, loose spoiler

    What the dealer did

    Replaced steering column control module and rear spoiler; sent out for paint correction; trim adjustment; wipers deemed 'working as designed'

    • Steering column control module
    • Paint
    • Rear spoiler
    • Exterior trim
    • Autowipers
    Counts toward days out of serviceMixed / mostly unverified
  2. 026 days

    213 miles

    Key card pairing for body-shop transport

    What the dealer did

    Temporary key card pairing; OTA update

    Not countedN/A (maintenance)
  3. 031 day

    4,969 miles

    Clicking from passenger seat and 2nd-row bench; B-pillar seat-belt panel rattle; trunk trim popping out

    What the dealer did

    Re-torqued under-torqued seat bolts; repaired pinched 2nd-row harness; replaced B-pillar clips; reset and re-clipped liftgate trim

    • Seat bolts
    • Pinched harness
    • B-pillar seat belt panel
    • Trunk trim panel
    Counts toward days out of serviceVerified (4 issues)
  4. 041 day

    5,441 miles

    Rear suspension noise while accelerating/driving

    What the dealer did

    Diagnosed and replaced liftgate power strut

    • Liftgate power strut
    Counts toward days out of serviceVerified
  5. 056 days

    5,726 miles

    Clicking noise from trunk area persists

    What the dealer did

    Traced to suspension: left rear strut leaking; strut replaced

    • Left rear strut (leaking)
    Counts toward days out of serviceVerified

The turning point

Why the manufacturer paid

Under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a manufacturer that cannot repair a defect within a reasonable number of attempts must repurchase the vehicle. We presented the verified repair history and demanded exactly that.

The result

How it ended

Tesla repurchased the vehicle. Our client recovered $46,446.25, the full purchase price plus registration and order fees, minus only the statutory mileage offset for 4,945 miles of use ($2,106.98, calculated by the formula written into the statute). Tesla paid our fees on top; the client kept every dollar.

What this case shows

You do not need a catastrophic failure to have a lemon. Repeated, verified defects on a new vehicle, even ones the dealer calls 'noise', qualify.

Free case review

Think you have the same problem?

Is your Tesla back at the service center again for the same issue? Get a free case review – you pay nothing, and if we win, Tesla pays our fees.

Start my free review Call (818) 553-1000

  • Attorney fees paid by the manufacturer in every case shown
  • $0 out of pocket
  • No confidentiality clauses, these numbers are real

About these results

Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts of each case. Results vary by case and are not guaranteed.

Get a Free Case Review
(818) 553-1000
Skip to content