Tesla

The suit alleges that the company’s vehicle design trapped five people inside a burning Model S following a 2024 crash in Wisconsin, killing all of them. Tesla is already facing a federal investigation into complaints that its door handles, which sit flush against the vehicle and are electronically controlled, can trap people inside their vehicle during a crash. The company has said it would redesign the handles.

Just like MKBHD in September, the OpenAI CEO has now canceled his Roadster preorder — or tried to, at least, given his email request bounced back. Altman said he understands delays, “but 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait.” Using it to advance his feud with Elon Musk was probably a bonus.

This one seems pretty minor, all things considered. It’s for a possible issue with the installation of an off-road light bar accessory that could detach while driving. But it’s notable given that the truck has already racked up a whopping 10 recalls in just two years on the road. Most have been related to poor build quality, which could also be a factor in the truck’s dismal sales record.

Elon Musk’s political activities — buying Twitter, renaming it X, and letting election deniers and white supremacists back on; donating nearly $300 million to elect Donald Trump; heading DOGE — have dramatically harmed Tesla’s financial fortunes, according to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research by Yale University economists. Musk’s polarizing behavior likely cost the company up to 1.26 million vehicle sales in the US alone, the group estimates. Meanwhile, EV sales from other automakers popped 17-22 percent, as Musk-disgusted shoppers spent their cash elsewhere.

This is the same robot that couldn’t handle popcorn distribution at Tesla’s diner, and was revealed to be remote controlled at the company’s Cybercab event. In a Q3 earnings call, Musk said he would “of course” ensure that “Optimus is safe” before allowing it to perform surgery on anyone. Volunteers?

A potential battery pack contactor defect could cause the EVs to suddenly lose power, as reported by Reuters. Tesla acknowledged in a NHTSA filing that the issue impacts 12,963 2025 Model 3 and 2026 Model Y vehicles manufactured between March 8th and August 15th, 2025.

At Wired, Zoë Schiffer (a Verge alum) talked to Cybertruck owners about life with Elon Musk’s controversial car. Somehow, the quotes in this story are even more ridiculous than the photos.

Apparently the lower-cost Standard trim still has the same glass roof as the Premium models, but Tesla installed a fabric headliner so you can’t see through it. Motor Trend and Car and Driver both clocked this in their hands-on with the new Model Y. It’s a strange move — Wouldn’t this end up costing more than just replacing the glass with metal or fiberglass? — but this is Tesla after all.

The new Tron movie isn’t getting the greatest reviews, but that hasn’t stopped Tesla from pushing a software update that enables customers to turn their vehicles into light cycles on their infotainment screens. Some Tesla owners are complaining that this basically amounts to free advertising for Disney. Maybe Tesla should have stopped after sending one of its Optimus robots to try to “fight” Jared Leto at the film’s premiere.

Is that a plastic hubcap, perhaps on a more affordable Model Y? A fan for the revamped Tesla Roadster? A new HVAC system? Or is it a Tesla frisbee, as some commenters have guessed? I guess we’ll have to tune in tomorrow (October 7th) to find out.

The Financial Times has a good rundown of the extensive executive churn across Elon Musk’s companies in recent months, from Tesla’s robotics team to xAI’s CFO. Musk’s “24/7 campaign-style work ethos” is apparently a little difficult to keep up with.

The next-gen charging station, which is located in Redwood, Calif., is capable of putting out 500kW of peak power. Currently, the only Tesla vehicle that can accept that rate is the Cybertruck. The station also is only available to Tesla vehicles for now.

He put down $5,000, and then another $45,000, to reserve a revamped Tesla Roadster when it was first unveiled in 2017. But Tesla never got around to making one, so he decided to cancel it. The cancellation process involved multiple emails and phone calls, but eventually he got a check from Tesla... for $45,000. That’s right, they kept the $5,000 initial deposit.

NBC News founded dozens of incidents in which Tesla owners using Full Self-Driving report near-misses with oncoming trains. The vehicles weren’t braking in time, forcing the drivers to intervene. Some cars stopped on the tracks, while others tried to actually turn onto the tracks. If I were trying to convince people my car company was actually on the cusp of solving real-world autonomy, I’d be very concerned by this!

IIHS moderate overlap crash test results for seven EVs show good ratings for the i4, Blazer EV, post-April 2025 Cybertruck, and ID.Buzz, and acceptable for Tesla’s Model 3. (No word on the door handles.)

There is a growing number of incidents of Tesla owners becoming trapped in their burning vehicles after crashes, thanks to flush door handles, electrical power, and mechanical releases. US regulators have taken little action despite complaints about Tesla’s door handles “piling up” in the federal government’s database, Bloomberg reports.

Politico reports that the company is seeking ridehailing permits from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose airports. But this is a bit like putting the robo-cart before the horse. Tesla still hasn’t acquired permits from California’s DMV to operate a fully driverless robotaxi service in the state. Instead, it has safety monitors in the driver seat in all its ridehailing vehicles in the state.

Tesla once commanded a dominant position in the EV market. But rising competition and an aging vehicle lineup — not to mention Elon Musk’s unique ability to alienate his liberal customer base — has taken a significant toll. The company’s share of the EV market in the US dropped to 38 percent in August, falling below 40 percent for the first time since 2017, Reuters reports.

The sports car company is finally offering adapters so Taycan and Macan EV owners can charge at Tesla’s Supercharger stations. New Porsche EVs will come with a complimentary adapter, while the company will send adapters free-of-charge to current Porsche owners. Charging sessions are initiated through the Tesla app for now, but soon can be started through the My Porsche app. Still no word on when Volkswagen and Audi EV owners can get their adapters.

Oh sorry, I misread, it’s just the app that’s available to all. You still need to join a waitlist — for a supervised “driverless” vehicle that may never actually come. Tesla’s robotaxis are currently only operating in Austin and San Francisco to select users.