"They don't have spares, so they gotta get it towed."

The new Tesla Cybertrucks and Tesla cars are revolutionary in many ways, but they require tow truck services more frequently than traditional gas-powered internal combustion engine vehicles.

"They have a lot of flat tires," said Ali Ganji, former owner of Guardian Towing Inc. in Miramar. Before selling his company recently, Ganji recalled “rescuing one or two Teslas with flats a day just from San Diego County. They don't have spares, so they gotta get it towed."

Ganji has towed Teslas in San Diego with his flatbed trucks since the Model S luxury sedan was first sold in 2012- 2013. He was also among the first on the scene in 2022 when a Tesla Model 3 hopped a wall in San Diego and landed on an ambulance, making national news.

On May 3, a Tesla Model S Plaid smoked a loud muscle car at the Barona drag strip.

What’s the reason why Teslas get flats?

“The tires for the cars do wear out very fast, and people don't realize that the inside is worn out faster than the outside, and they go flat,” Ganji opined. The Tesla, usually with normal driving, has tires will last 15,000 miles. They wear out very fast because they are soft compound tires and need that grip. They have torque and go fast, which wears out the tires faster."

On May 3, a Tesla Model S Plaid smoked a loud muscle car at the Barona drag strip. The Plaid can run the quarter mile in 9.23 seconds—reportedly .4 seconds faster than the $348,000 Ferrari 296GTB.

Redditors have spoken about the Plaids getting towed and agree that tow truck drivers rescue more Teslas than standard cars — mainly because of the sheer number of Teslas on the road. In 2023 alone, 1.8 million new Teslas were delivered to their owners, according to Statista.com. Given the popularity of the new Cybertrucks and recently released 1,000-a-week production numbers at the Tesla factory in Texas — San Diego tow truck drivers will be rescuing more Teslas in 2025.  

According to Tesla owners online, Tesla's Roadside Assistance is already busy in certain cities, including San Diego.

Hamzaxz on Reddit owns a Tesla Model Y. "Tesla's 'free towing' is such a joke," he opined in part. "I've never looked too closely at the details of the 'free towing to the nearest service center' because I thought it would be reasonable. Just had a flat from a nail in the center of the tire when coming home. The roadside assistance message copied: 'Roadside assistance is a complimentary service included in your warranty, however, the cost of your tire is not. The cost for Tesla to repair your tire is $121 + tax. If needed, the price to replace the tire is $410 + tax.' I asked if they would tow it to any other service center, and she said free towing only applies to the Tesla service center."

"People don't realize that the inside is worn out faster than the outside."

If Hamzaxz could make it to a Discount Tire store, they would remove the nail and patch the tire free of charge.

Other Tesla drivers on Reddit suggest purchasing a Modern Spare or Tsportline spare tire kit, which retails between $329.95 and $439.95, so they don't have to rely on tow truck drivers.

In addition to nails, other factors can cause Tesla tires to be low or flattened.

The batteries in Teslas make the vehicles heavier than the same size vehicle with a gas powered engine. Since the Tesla vehicles' curb weight is higher, the added downforce increases friction between the tires and the asphalt, increasing the rate of the Tesla's tire wear.

Ganji, the retired tow truck driver from San Diego, said he  helped Tesla owners when their batteries ran out of juice. “We’d rescue a Tesla every other day because they went out of range (battery power).”

“The Tesla [computer] tells you that you're going to run out of range in 30-40 miles, so make sure you don't go that distance because that's not always accurate. Don't ever go less than 10 percent of your battery life—and don’t forget to check your tires [treads].”