If something fails on your car after the warranty period, should it be replaced for free then? It's great that some parts last for much longer than the warranty, but don't kid yourself in thinking that Toyota would honor a ball joint or suspension piece for 200,000 miles or more.
If anything, you should be comparing similar vehicles. Compare the Model S to a Mercedes S class, or a BMW 7 series car. For example, a common complaint of these cars is the air suspension goes bad and has to be replaced for $2000/wheel. There's a warranty, and if it happens in that warranty it's covered for free. But if the air suspension goes out after warranty, no one bats an eye and expects it to be covered for free.
> If something fails on your car after the warranty period, should it be replaced for free then?
Nope. I didn't say nor imply that. I was expressing surprise that someone would think it unusual for a car to last 70,000 miles, nothing more.
It's a remarkable thing that even as the complexity of vehicles has risen over the years, (I think) the data shows overall longevity and reliability has increased (on average for the whole fleet). Auto engineers and manufacturers are doing something right!
Yes, that's true a lot of people opt to not get it because of the cost to fix it. But, a lot of "packages" will require it. Like on the Model S if you get the fastest option you can't unbundle the air suspension. (Update: it used to be the case where they made you get that, but now you can unbundle it.)
If anything, you should be comparing similar vehicles. Compare the Model S to a Mercedes S class, or a BMW 7 series car. For example, a common complaint of these cars is the air suspension goes bad and has to be replaced for $2000/wheel. There's a warranty, and if it happens in that warranty it's covered for free. But if the air suspension goes out after warranty, no one bats an eye and expects it to be covered for free.