A Tesla owner who was the unfortunate victim of a no-fault accident has reportedly been left with a damaged car because a major insurance company won’t pay for the repairs to his vehicle.
The Phoenix-based driver’s car is at a Tesla-approved shop but the shop won’t move forward with the repair because Geico, the at-fault driver’s insurance company, won’t sign off on the repair costs. According to a report on Teslerati, the owner is expected to come up with $2,100 to cover various expenses to get the repair done, and he’s apparently not the only owner in the area that’s run into this kind of trouble.
The Wham Baam Teslacam Twitter account tweeted that “none of the Tesla-certified body shops in Phoenix” will take Geico customers because the company will not pay what it actually costs to repair a Tesla. The car’s owner told Wham Baam Teslacam that despite not having caused the accident, he has to file a claim with State Farm, his own insurance company, pay a $2,000 deductible, and hope Sate Farm can claw back the cost. But even State Farm has said it thinks Geico might not reimburse it for money spent on the repair.
Related: Geico Ordered To Pay $5.2M To Woman Who Contracted STD In One Of Its Customers’ Cars
I am so sorry to hear about this. If you would like to review this further with someone, please feel free to send us a DM with your name, number and claim number.
-Aurelia— GEICO Service Team (@GEICO_Service) September 27, 2022
This kind of publicity doesn’t look good for Geico, and the company has already replied to the Wham Baam Teslacam tweet asking the owner to get in touch to “review this further with someone.” But that’s still no guarantee that Geico will cough-up the funds to get the owner back on the road.
Tesla extended its own insurance program to include drivers in Ohio and Arizona earlier this year, bringing the number of states covered at that point to five. The scheme was already available to drivers in California, Illinois and Texas, but is now also available in Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Virginia.
