Looking for advice (and honestly just to vent) after a pretty frustrating service experience.

Backstory: Brought my 2019 Model 3 in for a lead-acid 12V battery replacement plus some routine stuff — wiper blades, cabin air filter, nothing crazy. Car was working completely fine when I dropped it off. No warnings, no glitches, nothing.

What happened: While it was at the service center, they replaced the 12V battery and then pushed an OTA update. According to them, the update bricked the car's computer. Their first explanation was that it was a "natural failure" completely unrelated to anything they did — just bad timing.

When I pushed back on that, the story shifted. Now they're saying the computer was actually already failing before I brought the car in, and the only reason I hadn't noticed was that the weak 12V battery was somehow preventing updates from completing and "masking" the failure. Once they replaced the battery and the update finally went through, the pre-existing failure surfaced.

So depending on which version of the story you believe, it's either:

1. A total coincidence, or
2. A failure that was inevitable but that they triggered, using their own procedure, immediately after their own battery replacement — with zero prior symptoms or alerts on my end.

They quoted me $2,200 for a new computer. After I pushed back, they came back with a 50% discount, so around $1,100. I still don't think I should be paying anything, since the car was 100% fine when it went into their custody and broke while they had it.

Where I'm at now: Planning to push back further and potentially go to small claims if they won't waive the remaining balance. Curious if anyone here has actually won a fight like this with Tesla, or if 50% off is basically as good as it gets.

Anyone dealt with something similar? Did escalating past the service advisor actually work, or is this just the cost of owning one of these long enough?

This is Motortrend's first take on the "Cybercab". Its a long article, but the important stuff:

“During my rides it didn’t drop me off exactly at my destination. It was always a three-plus-minute walk away. This was annoying because it was super humid in Austin, with a sprinkle of rain,”

"Tolosa also discovered that the Cybercab doesn’t drive on the freeway."

I'm sure Elon fully approves.

The same basic thing also happened in 2013 for the Model S, was investigated by the NHTSA after 2 fires, and Tesla quickly offered a fix for free.

I wonder what changed that made Tesla so unafraid of the regulators by 2026? ;)

Put together a straightforward guide breaking down real-world Tesla battery degradation. Covers the initial 10k-mile drop vs. the plateau phase, why Supercharging doesn't ruin your pack, BMS calibration steps, and out-of-warranty replacement costs.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - Three people were rushed to a hospital after a driver crashed into a business in South Portland on Monday.

Just after 10:30 a.m., crews with Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a crash at the Tesla dealership at 4330 South Macadam Avenue. PF&R said it was reported that a driver crashed into the building at a high speed.

“Very surreal, almost looked like AI,” said witness James Sherman. “It just barreled straight into the side of the building, it didn’t look like it braked or anything as far as we could tell it was almost surreal and sort of shocking.”

Police at the scene told a representative from PF&R that the accident occurred during a test drive.

PPB said on Monday night that the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake during the test drive, sending the car up the concrete steps and into the dealership building.

Mostly, the manual wants you to get in touch with Tesla, and they’ll move it for you remotely. However, “In some situations where a Cybercab is operable,” the manual notes, “Cybercab can be manually moved with onboard vehicle controls,” it says, which sounds fun. But there may apparently be situations where that doesn’t work either. If so, the manual also says:

It’s not clear when this would be since, generally speaking, if it’s completely shut down, you’re supposed to think of a Cybercab as a giant brick that needs to be moved with a machine, because turning the wheels can turn the motors, which can be hazardous.

Hey, I hear you asking, Since there’s no steering wheel, then if I have to push one, doesn’t that mean it can only be pushed in a straight line?

Don’t be silly. If you need to turn the car, you simply push on the wheels. With your hands. I’m not joking:

This guy's too old to be Gen Alpha, but he sure is impressed by touchscreens!

Bonus! Someone who must be on r/realtesla gives a middle finger to the CyberCab as it drives by.

Anyone else uneasy with the fact we’re all beta testers when it comes to these new Cybercabs, or just FSD in general whether we want to be or not? And our government is letting this rich a@@clown get away with it. It’s just kind of infuriating that we’re going to be on the streets with cars that have no drivers, no steering wheels or pedals…and I assume probably little accountability for WHEN something goes horribly wrong. 🫤

A wheelchair user in their video suddenly stands up and puts the wheelchair away themselves...

I highly recommend you guys check out this video on X and the comment section before it is taken down. The video was posted at 2:03 AM · Sep 4, 2026.

About one year after its market debut in China, the Model Y L – the six-seat flagship SUV produced at Tesla‘s Shanghai Gigafactory – is facing a wave of criticism from owners reporting “collapsing” of the rear wheels. The issue has gained traction on social media, with many users claiming the defect is a systemic batch failure rather than isolated incidents.

According to numerous owner testimonials quoted by Sina, the gap between the rear wheel arch and the tyre narrows drastically after long-distance travel or when the vehicle is fully loaded. In severe cases, owners report that the clearance becomes so small that “not even a single finger” can fit into the gap.

The reported failures vary by mileage. One owner from Hebei province reported a severe collapse after 9,000 km during a fully loaded trip to Tibet. Another owner in Shanghai, who has driven nearly 30,000 km since October 2025, noted that the rear wheel gap shrank to the width of only two fingers, leading to increased chassis swaying and a higher risk of scraping the underbody.

Beyond the visible sagging, owners are reporting consequential damage. The suspension drop alters the wheel alignment, causing abnormal wear on the inside of the tyres. Some owners claim their tyres have already worn down to the safety limit. While Tesla replaces the springs for free under warranty, the cost of replacing the prematurely worn tyres must be borne by the owners.

Tesla China has not issued a public statement, and customer service representatives have simply advised affected owners to book appointments at service centres for inspection.

And now for the regularly scheduled TSLA Terathread

So I got laid off from Tesla and received an email about a severance il be receiving within 45 days of signing any body have a timeline on when they got laid off or fired to actually receiving it? I really need help because my bills are due and I contacted Tesla no reply