Tesla owner Ryan Shaw’s Model Y electric crossover was undrivable after it got rear-ended. The cost to have it repaired was a whopping ~$20,000. He breaks down exactly what happened, how everything worked out, and what he “learned the hard way.”
Collision repairs are expensive, and if you own a Tesla, there’s a good chance a collision repair will be much more expensive than you expect. Moreover, in many cases, the repairs can take a very long time.
While Tesla operates a growing number of Collision Centers that handle full structural repairs and light collision work, it typically relies on certified collision shops to handle the repairs.
Shaw was one of the first people to take delivery of a Model Y back in March 2020. The early model had some issues that had to be taken care of at a Service Center, but those problems were nothing compared to what he went through after the EV was hit, not once, but twice.
Shaw rented the car out on Turo and it was rear-ended while the renter was driving. He had it fixed, but more recently, the Model Y was rear-ended again while he was driving. The second collision was bad enough that he couldn’t drive the car.
The first repair cost about $10,000, and it was covered by the at-fault driver’s insurance. Shaw also received loss of income, diminished value, and the replacement PPF was covered. It took forever, but it all worked out okay.
The second collision was much worse, and left him stuck on the freeway for hours. However, the airbags didn’t deploy and Shaw was relatively unscathed, but the seat belt locked up and the car began to emit a strange smell that Shaw says all EV owners should be made aware of. He later explains that the smell was from the “pyro fuse,” which causes an instant shut down of high-voltage currents for safety reasons, and to reduce the risk of fire.
The car wouldn’t start and most of its systems were disabled. Needless to say, it proved quite difficult to get the car off the freeway. In fact, a police officer had to use his patrol car to push the Model Y off the freeway and out of harm’s way.
After the car was off the highway, Shaw called AAA, though in retrospect, he realizes that he should have used Tesla’s roadside service. AAA couldn’t tow the car away because it wouldn’t go into neutral. Shaw contacted Tesla’s roadside service and had to wait another hour for help, during which the 12-volt battery died, which caused further issues and delays.
As you can see, the story just continues to get worse and worse. Tesla’s roadside service was eventually able to get the Model Y up onto a flatbed, but not without a series of issues, and some crafty methods and tricks.
The second Model Y collision repair came out to nearly $20,000, but the parts need to be ordered, and it’s going to take some time. Since Shaw wasn’t at fault, insurance will cover the repair, but he’ll have to pay his $1,000 deductible. He’ll be seeking loss of income, diminished value, and another PPF replacement as well, which will all be paid by the at-fault driver’s insurance.
Check out the video for more details. Then, share your own EV repair experiences with us in the comment section below.
