Tesla is accusing Reuters of “manufacturing” a story about the automaker lying to customers to make repairs off warranty.
Last week, Reuters posted a story titled ‘Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective’.
In short, the report claims that Tesla gaslighted customers into thinking they were responsible for issues needing repair when the automaker knew that they were common defect.
The report used anecdotal evidence from customers and claims to have seen service communications to prove it.
As we reported last week, we have been skeptical of Reuters reporting on Tesla lately, especially after we caught them back editing an article to correct it and then lying about the edit:
On our podcast last week, we briefly discussed the new report from Reuters with skepticism because it appeared that they were basing their claims of Tesla knowing about the “defect” on service notices that Tesla propagated amongst its service network.
Those notices are standard and help spread knowledge amongst Tesla’s service centers and get ahead of potential issues.
A service notice doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a widespread defect.
Tesla has now responded to the story in a lengthy X post:
It is rare for Tesla to answer news articles since the automaker dissolved its PR department back in 2020.
But the automaker decided to answer this time. However, Tesla was contacted by Reuters prior to the article being published and only decided to answer after the affect.
Tesla called the story “manufactured” and says in it is “demonstrably incorrect”:
Reuters published an article that leads with a wildly misleading headline and is riddled with incomplete and demonstrably incorrect information. This latest piece vaguely and nonsensically suggests there are thousands upon thousands of disgruntled Tesla customers. It’s nonsensical because it’s nonfactual—the reality is Tesla’s customer retention is among the best and highest in the industry.
The automaker claims to have “telemetry” that shows there was a collision in the main incident publicized in the article rather than simply a defect as alleged by the owner.
Tesla argued:
The author has conflated a noise-related (non-safety) issue with a range of unrelated and disconnected service actions. Contrary to the article’s statements based on erroneous data, Tesla is truthful and transparent with our safety regulators around the globe and any insinuation otherwise is plain wrong.
Electrek contacted the owner involved in the Reuters article to get their reaction to Tesla’s response.
Electrek’s Take
I think that scrutiny is important and Tesla’s service is certainly far from perfect. However, this article didn’t feel right to me because it seemed to put way too much weight on service notices.
That said, I am curious to see what the customer says about Tesla’s claim of having telemetry on an alleged crash because that was the main story Reuters used to make its point.
On a different point, Tesla could have likely avoided that article altogether or at the very least made it a lot more accurate by having a PR department to talk to those reporters before publishing the story.
At the very least, they would have included Tesla’s response in the original article, but they might even had decided to drop the story altogether if Tesla was able to show them that their anecdotal evidence was flawed.
I really think that Tesla needs a PR department again.
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Beatbot AquaSense 2
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 delivers powerful, reliable cleaning performance, combining advanced technology with user-friendly convenience. Equipped with a robust 200W brushless main pump motor, this 3-in-1 robotic cleaner effortlessly tackles floors, walls, and waterlines, providing full coverage with optimized path navigation and impressive 5500 GPH suction power.
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Environment
Toyota the EV battery supplier? Honda will use them to power up its 400,000 hybrids in the US
Toyota is now a battery supplier? That’s the plan. Honda will use Toyota’s batteries to power up its around 400,000 hybrids sold in the US.
Toyota will supply batteries for Honda hybrids in the US
Toyota’s $14 billion battery plant in North Carolina is ready for business. The facility will begin shipping out batteries next month, and it looks like Toyota already has its first customer.
According to a new Nikkei report, starting in fiscal 2025, Toyota will supply batteries for the roughly 400,000 Honda hybrids sold in the US.
Honda currently uses batteries from China and Japan for vehicles sold in the US, but the company is (like most) preparing for changes under Trump.
Honda’s electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, accounted for over a quarter of US sales last year. The company sold over 308,500 hybrids and 40,400 electric vehicles in the US in 2024. The batteries will likely be used in the CR-V and other Honda hybrid vehicles.
Earlier this month, an extra 10% tariff on imports from China took effect. And that’s on top of the 10% imposed in February.
With more expected, including a 25% increase in vehicles imported from Japan, automakers are tightening up their supply chains.
A 25% tariff on Japanese vehicles, up from 2.5% currently, is estimated to cost the six major Japanese automakers about $20 billion in the US.
Tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada could cost Honda roughly $4.7 billion alone. Teaming up with Toyota to use its batteries for its hybrids is part of Japan’s broader global plans to ween off dependence on China and others for batteries and other emerging tech.
The new US plant, Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMC), is over seven million square feet, or about the size of 121 football fields.
As Toyota’s first in-house battery factory outside of Japan, the plant could be a game changer as Trump’s tariffs take effect. Securing Honda as a buyer will already help Toyota cut costs as it ramps up output.
Toyota plans to ramp up electrified vehicle (EV, PHEV, and hybrid) sales in North America from around 40% last year to 80% by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
Trump’s tariffs are already causing havoc, with nearly every automaker warning that they put the US further behind. Overseas automakers are not the only ones feeling the heat, either.
The “Big Three,” GM, Ford, and Jeep maker Stellantis all build vehicles in Canada and Mexico. GM cut output at its plant in Mexico in January, where the electric Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Honda Prologue are made. Stellantis halted operations at its Brampton Assembly Plant in Canada last month, where it was expected to launch the Jeep Compass EV production. What’s next?
For Toyota, it looks like its $14 billion bet to build batteries in the US is already paying off. Now, we just need it to introduce more EVs.
After unveiling three new electric SUVs in Europe last week, including the updated bZ4X, Toyota hinted more is on the way for the US. Check back soon for updates.
What do you think? Do you want to see more Toyota EVs in the US, like the new C-HR+? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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