2023 Air Touring: Overall Ownership Experience so far (4 months, 3200 mi.) 👍 & 👎 !

[JoshG]

2023 (Dec.) Lucid Air Touring: DDP, SSP, 19", Metal Roof, Zenith Red w/ Santa Cruz

Here's a summary of my ownership experience so far, and my (verbose) thoughts on the good and the bad of what I've had with my car after 4 months & 3200 miles.

TL;DR: LOVE the Air, amazing driving experience, outstanding luxury, handling, packaging, and materials. Some quirks with UI (but it's improving). But I've had too many major service failures in 4 months of ownership with 5 weeks without my car due to repair issues to wholeheartedly recommend the car/brand to others right now. My experience is clearly not typical as so many people love it and drive it trouble-free.​

More details for those that care:

Let me start with all the positives, at risk of reiterating what so many owners say about this car:

• It's definitely the best of 5 EV's I've owned, and possibly the overall best driving experience of any of my 20+ owned cars over the years, many costing much more money from legendary/storied brands.
• The driving dynamics and feel is outstanding... quiet, comfortable, great ride/handling, excellent steering feel, great roadfeel, great suspension, an all even with my range-prioritizing 19" wheels.
• The packaging and dimensions/layout seems almost impossibly good - how can a car barely larger than a Model S provide more room inside for passengers while ALSO providing far more storage room up front AND in rear? Should be impossible, but they did it and it's not just slightly noticeable, it's immediately noticeable in any of those areas.
• The range, even on my Touring, is a game-changer in this size/weight/price of a vehicle.
• The tech is impressive in many ways, and I love the multiple screens despite some issues with UI implementation choices, some of which may get fixed with OTA updates.
• Materials, Fit & Finish: better than most makers have accomplished with 50-80 years of luxury car-building experience, and WAY better than could have been expected from a brand new maker with a brand new model, new factory, new workers, and new methods!
• Local team (Millbrae service center): Outstanding... they address issues quickly, professionally, and are super responsive. When i've had issues, they're on it quickly and have gotten me a loaner when needed that is higher trim than my own car! Of particular note for commendation: Travis & Fred at Millbrae service dept.

OK, and now here's the bad:

• Reliability & Service issues. My car is now in the shop right now for the THIRD time for major service due to failed system components. This is unacceptable for a luxury car in this segment, but i'm chalking it up to my particular unit having had an unlucky and unlikely combination of failures and not at all indicative of what other owners have had, nor what anyone might have who buys now.
  1. Day 1 of ownership: Upon getting new car home from Lucid after picking it up, got Red "charge port error" and car wouldn't charge on AC, only on DC.
     • RESOLUTION: a week in the shop, new Wunderbox installed. Problem seemed fixed.
       
  2. 3 weeks into ownership: Driving in LA 400 miles from home, car suddenly gave red dash "Auxiliary Power Supply Fault - Contact Customer Care" message.
     • RESOLUTION: 14 days in shop, car got a SECOND new Wunderbox, and a new heater unit. Seemed fixed.
       Full saga described here.
       
  3. NOW, 4 months into ownership: Driving on highway 60 miles from home, with family in car, with no apparent cause, got "Drive System Fault - pull over" critical alert. Car immobilized, not drivable. Towed later that night from Monterey to Millbrae service center.
     • NOT RESOLVED YET: Millbrae is very backed up, after 5 days of having it they haven't been able to diagnose it fully or give me any ETA or resolution.

This last one was the biggest/scariest. Car shutting down at speed like this was pretty terrifying on a highway at dusk with very limited shoulder area for pulling over safely and with my whole family in the car. Managed to get safely to shoulder on coasting speed (barely), car wouldn't move further, could not get it to next exit.

I have to say I've never had a new car with this many major failures in such a short period of ownership.​

my other complaints/issues are minor in comparison, but still worth mentioning:

• Keyfob & mobile-key issues: documented elsewhere on the forum, I have had fewer problems than some people, but still annoying to have frequent delays walking up to car and reaching for handle to open door.
• UI Quirks & issues: (many improvements over 4 months via OTA, and others may get addressed): menu layouts, some audio issues, spotty bluetooth failures, some audio source switching issues, user profile difficulties or missing some inclusions, etc. Others on forum have listed these in better detail.
• Ergonomics: mostly outstanding, but minor: window switches are too far forward, turn signal stalk too short, cupholders too small, wireless charger "slot" is terrible.

I want to get back to being an enthusiastic owner and advocate for Lucid. But having had the bad luck of three different major systems failures has made that difficult, to say the least, and it's shaken my confidence. I hope and believe my experience is very atypical, but I still feel it's worth pointing out to the community and the company.

The car is on a short term lease (18-mo) and for that I feel lucky. I haven't looked into Lemon Law requirements, but with my short-term lease and hopes they'll finally fix my own issues, i'll likely wait to see if things are finally reliable if they get me the car back reasonably quickly now. I'd probably feel differently if I owned this car outright. To be continued...

Again it's worth saying that Lucid's service team (in Millbrae, CA service center) works very hard and has moved FAST to address issues, get the car into service, get me a loaner (nicer vehicle than my own!), and keep me informed as to progress. They're a huge asset to the company and have kept me as positive about Lucid as they possibly could have.

Will post any relevant updates on my latest service issue on the relevant forum here.

 

[JoshG]

Should have added one more to my "minor negatives":

Electrify America: ugh. Tons of issues, but only really impacts me when on road trips. Charging at home is great. Maybe some signs EA is getting better.... but too slowly.​

 

[Adnillien]

Thank you for sharing. Good luck with the repair and please keep us updated on what happens.

 

[borski]

My guess is your drive system fault is going to be a motor replacement. It could be the HV battery, but if it didn't give you a two-minute warning, my pure and unadulterated speculation is it's a motor. Luckily, they have plenty of experience replacing those if it is that.

 

[dwfallin]

sorry to hear about the issues, hope this last repair carries u through the rest of ur lease!