Tesla
Tesla is an electric vehicle manufacturer and clean energy company producing the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck. The company sells directly to consumers, bypassing the traditional dealer franchise model, and offers software-defined features including Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and Autopilot driver assistance.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated. Last assessed 2026-09-26. Score revised 2026-09-26: 64 → 58.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
Tesla began regular production of the Roadster in March 2008, selling a small run of electric sports cars directly to buyers, and raised $226 million in a 2010 IPO. There was little to extract and few ways to extract it: no paid software, little data collection and no post-purchase monetization. The main open questions were Musk's financial control and how states would treat its direct-sales model.
The Model S launched in June 2012 to near-perfect owner satisfaction and made Tesla a credible automaker. Autopilot hardware arrived on all new cars in October 2014, beginning over-the-air control of the driving experience, and the first fatal Autopilot crash in May 2016 drew NHTSA scrutiny. Repairs ran almost entirely through Tesla and Fremont's injury record was already worse than the industry's, but buyers got a product that kept improving.
In October 2016 Tesla began selling every new car as having the hardware for full self-driving, starting a paid autonomy promise it would not deliver, and a month later bought SolarCity, which Musk chaired. The Model 3 ramp from mid-2017 brought 54 Cal/OSHA violations, union-organizer firings the NLRB found illegal, and the 2018 SEC fraud settlement that removed Musk as chairman. Tesla also showed how far over-the-air control reached: unlocking software-limited batteries for Hurricane Irma evacuees in 2017, throttling older Model S batteries in 2019, and stripping paid Autopilot from a resold car in 2020.
Tesla put an 'FSD Beta' on public roads in October 2020 and raised the package to $10,000, reaching $15,000 by September 2022, with a $199/month subscription from July 2021. Scrutiny followed: NHTSA opened an Autopilot probe after emergency-vehicle crashes in August 2021, California's DMV accused Tesla of deceptive marketing in August 2022, and the Justice Department was reported in October 2022 to be investigating its self-driving claims. The Owen Diaz verdict and California's systemic-racism suit exposed conditions at Fremont, while Tesla opened its charging connector to rivals in November 2022.
Tesla cut prices by up to 20% in January 2023, and repeated cuts pushed used Model 3 and Model Y prices down about 25% in 2024. Reuters revealed employees had shared cabin-camera footage and that a 'Diversion Team' cancelled range-complaint appointments, Mozilla gave Tesla every privacy 'ding', and NHTSA scrutiny produced recalls of FSD Beta (362,758 cars) and Autopilot (2 million). Labor conflict widened with the Buffalo firings, the EEOC suit, Sweden's IF Metall strike and 14,000 layoffs, as a Delaware court voided Musk's pay and Tesla reincorporated in Texas.
Musk's DOGE role in the Trump administration from January 2025 made Tesla's CEO a political lightning rod; Q1 2025 profit fell 71% and 2025 brought Tesla's first annual revenue decline. The board raised the bar for shareholder suits to 3% ownership and won approval of a pay plan worth up to $1 trillion, while courts delivered a $243 million Autopilot verdict, certified an FSD buyer class and, in December, found its Autopilot and FSD marketing deceptive. NHTSA opened a 2.88-million-vehicle FSD traffic-violation probe, and cheaper 'Standard' trims launched without Autosteer, foreshadowing the paywalling to come.
In January 2026 Tesla announced FSD would become subscription-only, removed standard Autosteer from new cars, invested $2 billion in xAI despite a failed shareholder vote, and said it would end the Model S and X to build Optimus robots. In April it conceded HW3 cars can never run unsupervised FSD, as NHTSA escalated its visibility probe to a 3.2-million-vehicle Engineering Analysis. Tesla complied with California's order to drop 'Autopilot', but defeated union efforts in Sweden and Berlin and began charging fares for steering-wheel-less Cybercabs in September 2026 as NHTSA audited their self-certification.
Alternatives
Kia's EV6 crossover and three-row EV9 use the same 800-volt E-GMP platform as Hyundai's Ioniq models, so they charge just as fast, and 2025-onward EV6s and 2026 EV9s have a native NACS port for Tesla Superchargers. Highway Driving Assist 2, with assisted lane changes, is standard equipment from the EV6 Wind trim up rather than a subscription, and both models are built in Georgia and serviced through Kia's dealer network. Kia is part of Hyundai Motor Group, so picking it over Hyundai doesn't diversify much, and the same dealer-purchase and privacy caveats apply. Same purchase-level switching cost as any car change.
Hyundai's Ioniq 5 crossover and three-row Ioniq 9 are the closest rivals to the Model Y and Model X: 800-volt ultra-fast charging (about 20 minutes from 10-80% on a 350 kW charger for the Ioniq 5), a native NACS port on 2026 models for Tesla Superchargers, and a franchised dealer network for service and repairs. Lane-centering driver assistance comes with the car rather than behind a monthly subscription. Catches: you buy and service through dealers, so prices are negotiated; 800-volt cars charge more slowly on Tesla's mostly 400-volt Superchargers; and connected-car privacy is weak across the industry, with Mozilla's 2023 review failing every brand it tested. The standard Ioniq 6 sedan was dropped from the U.S. lineup for 2026.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (101 events)
Tesla Begins Regular Production of the Roadster
After the first production Roadster was handed to Elon Musk in February 2008, Tesla began regular production of the car in March 2008. The two-seat sports car, the first highway-legal serial-production electric car to use lithium-ion cells, proved electric vehicles could match gasoline performance, with 0-60 mph in 3.7-3.9 seconds and a range of roughly 245 miles. About 2,450 Roadsters were produced between 2008 and 2012.
Tesla IPO Raises $226 Million on NASDAQ
Tesla went public at $17 per share, raising $226 million and becoming the first American automaker IPO since Ford in 1956. Shares surged 41% on the first day of trading to close at $23.89. The IPO provided capital for Model S development and factory acquisition but introduced public market pressures on growth targets.
Model S Launch Achieves 99/100 Customer Satisfaction
Tesla launched the Model S luxury sedan, which earned a five-star safety rating from NHTSA in every category and achieved the highest customer satisfaction score Consumer Reports had seen in years at 99 out of 100. The car proved EVs could be practical family vehicles, not just sports cars, with up to 265 miles of range.
Tesla Introduces Autopilot Hardware on All New Vehicles
Tesla began equipping all new Model S vehicles with Autopilot hardware (HW1) as standard equipment, using a single camera, radar, and 12 ultrasonic sensors based on Mobileye technology. The software cost an additional $2,500 to activate. This marked the beginning of Tesla's software-defined vehicle strategy and set the stage for future FSD monetization.
First Fatal Autopilot Crash Kills Joshua Brown in Florida
Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old former Navy SEAL, was killed when his Tesla Model S on Autopilot failed to detect a tractor-trailer turning left at an intersection in Williston, Florida. The car's automatic emergency braking did not activate. NHTSA investigated and concluded the system was not defective in January 2017, but the crash raised fundamental questions about Tesla's marketing of Autopilot capabilities.
Tesla Launches HW2 With Full Self-Driving Promise
Tesla announced all new vehicles would ship with Hardware 2 featuring eight cameras for 360-degree coverage, promising the cars had 'the hardware needed for full self-driving capability.' Musk claimed a Tesla would drive coast-to-coast without intervention by the end of 2017. Accessing the capability required a $5,000 Enhanced Autopilot package plus a $3,000 Full Self-Driving option. The coast-to-coast demo never materialized.
Tesla Acquires SolarCity for $2.6 Billion Despite Conflicts
Tesla completed its acquisition of SolarCity, a solar panel company co-founded by Musk's cousins, for $2.6 billion in an all-stock deal. Musk held roughly a fifth of each company and chaired SolarCity's board while sitting on Tesla's, creating significant conflicts of interest. Shareholders sued, alleging the deal was a bailout of a troubled company. The Delaware Chancery Court ruled for Musk in 2022, finding the process flawed but the deal fair to Tesla, and the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed in 2023.
Fremont Worker Launches Union Organizing Campaign
Jose Moran, a Fremont factory production worker, published a blog post calling for a union and saying workers had reached out to the UAW. He cited excessive mandatory overtime, frequent preventable injuries, workers afraid to report injuries, and pay of $17-$21 an hour against a national auto-worker average of $25.58, closing with a call for 'a fair future' at Tesla. Tesla responded aggressively, and the NLRB later found multiple unfair labor practices in the company's anti-union response.
Worksafe Analysis Finds Fremont Injury Rate 31% Above Industry Average
An analysis by worker-advocacy group Worksafe of Tesla's OSHA Form 300 injury logs, which Fremont workers had requested, found the factory's total recordable injury rate in 2015 was 8.8 per 100 workers, 31% above the auto-manufacturing industry rate of 6.7, and that its rate of serious injuries (days away, restricted duty or transfer) was about double the industry rate that year. Tesla countered that its early-2017 rates had fallen below the industry average.
Model 3 Production Hell Begins With Missed Targets
Tesla began Model 3 deliveries but produced only 260 vehicles in Q3 2017 against a target of 1,500, entering what Musk himself called 'production hell.' Excessive factory automation failed catastrophically, and Tesla was 'single-digit weeks' from bankruptcy by mid-2018. Workers faced mandatory overtime and injury rates spiked as the company prioritized output. Tesla eventually built a tent assembly line (GA4) outside the factory to meet targets.
Tesla Remotely Unlocks Software-Limited Batteries for Hurricane Irma Evacuees
As Hurricane Irma approached Florida, Tesla temporarily unlocked the full 75 kWh capacity of Model S and Model X cars that had been sold with the same pack software-limited to 60 or 70 kWh, adding 30 to 40 miles of range. The goodwill gesture exposed the business model: buyers of the cheaper versions carried hardware Tesla had disabled and offered to unlock later for a fee, and the extra range was switched off again after the storm.
Tesla Fires Union Organizer Richard Ortiz in Retaliation
Tesla terminated Richard Ortiz, an active participant in the UAW organizing campaign at the Fremont factory. The NLRB later ruled the firing was illegal retaliation for union activity. This was one of multiple unfair labor practice findings, including banning union T-shirts and Musk's anti-union tweet threatening stock option loss.
Apple Engineer Killed in Autopilot Crash on Highway 101
Walter Huang, a 38-year-old Apple engineer, was killed when his Tesla Model X on Autopilot veered into a concrete highway median at 71 mph near Mountain View, California. Huang had previously complained about the car swerving toward the same barrier 7-10 times. The NTSB found Autopilot was engaged for 19 minutes before the crash and the car accelerated into the barrier. Tesla settled the wrongful death lawsuit in April 2024.
Tesla Service Centers Strained by Parts Shortages as Model 3 Ramps
As Tesla ramped Model 3 production at Fremont, owners reported parts shortages, long repair delays and trouble reaching customer help lines, with some service centers turning away cars because they were too busy and some body repairs waiting months for parts. Musk acknowledged on Twitter that Norwegian owners were right to be upset about service capacity, and Tesla said it would hire more support staff.
Musk Settles SEC Fraud Charges Over 'Funding Secured' Tweet
Elon Musk settled securities fraud charges with the SEC after his August 7 tweet claiming he had 'funding secured' to take Tesla private at $420 per share, which was false. The settlement required Musk and Tesla to each pay $20 million in penalties, Musk to step down as board chairman for three years, and Tesla to appoint two independent directors and create a committee to oversee Musk's communications.
Forbes: 54 OSHA Violations at Fremont, Triple the 10 Largest U.S. Auto Plants Combined
A Forbes review found 24 Cal/OSHA investigations at Tesla's Fremont factory from 2014 to 2018, resulting in fines for 54 violations totaling $236,730. Ten big U.S. auto plants employing about 58,000 workers combined incurred just 18 violations and less than $90,000 in fines over the same period. Tesla contested most of the fines. The fines included six, totaling $29,365, tied to the tent structure hastily erected for Model 3 production.
Tesla Accused of Autopilot Bait-and-Switch on Early Buyers
Tesla reworked how Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving were packaged, moving features between tiers and offering owners who had not bought either package a discounted upgrade. Early Model 3 buyers who had paid $8,000 up front for Autopilot and FSD, on the promise that the options would cost more after delivery, ended up paying more than later buyers. Electrek called the move a bait-and-switch that did a 'disservice to early buyers who took them at their word.'
Tesla Opens Repair Procedures to Non-Certified Shops, Behind a Paywall
Tesla, which had not signed the automakers' right-to-repair agreement and had limited repair procedures to certified shops outside Massachusetts, opened most of its service website to the public. Access was sold by subscription, from $31.88 for an hour to $3,187.50 for a year, and Model 3 body-repair procedures remained blocked.
Fremont Injury Days Lost Nearly Triple in 2018 Model 3 Ramp
Tesla's OSHA filing showed Fremont workers logged 22,454 days lost to work-related injuries and illness in 2018, up from 7,619 in 2017, and average time missed per case rose to 66 work days from 35, Bloomberg reported. A former OSHA chief of staff called the data alarming; Tesla disputed that days away indicate injury severity and noted there were no fatalities.
Tesla OTA Update Throttles Older Model S Batteries After Hong Kong Fire
After a Model S caught fire in Hong Kong, Tesla pushed an over-the-air update that revised charging and thermal settings and cut maximum battery voltage on older Model S cars, reducing their range; owners' lawyers said a 10% reduction lasted about three months and a smaller 7% one another seven months until a corrective update in March 2020. Tesla later paid a $1.5 million U.S. class settlement ($625 per owner for 1,743 owners), and Norwegian owners won larger awards.
Tesla Settles Michigan Direct Sales Lawsuit After Four-Year Fight
Tesla and the State of Michigan settled Tesla's 2016 federal lawsuit over the state's 2014 ban on company-owned stores and service centers. Under the stipulation, Tesla could sell cars to Michigan customers as long as the sales contract showed the sale took place in another state, and could own service and repair facilities in Michigan through a subsidiary. The direct-sales ban itself stayed on the books for other manufacturers.
Tesla Remotely Strips Paid Autopilot and FSD From a Resold Model S
Tesla sold a 2017 Model S with Autopilot and FSD at auction, then ran a remote 'audit' and removed the features by software update after a dealer resold the car, although they were listed on its window sticker. Tesla told the new owner the features had not been paid for and offered to sell them again.
Musk Reopens Fremont Factory Defying County Health Orders
Elon Musk restarted production at the Fremont factory in defiance of Alameda County's COVID-19 shelter-in-place order before the county had approved Tesla's safety plan, tweeting that he would be on the line and that if anyone was arrested it should be only him. Tesla had sued the county and Musk threatened to move Tesla's headquarters out of California. In the preceding weeks he had tweeted 'FREE AMERICA NOW' and called the lockdowns 'fascist.' The episode highlighted Musk's willingness to override local public-health governance.
FSD Price Reaches $10,000 With Repeated Increases
Tesla raised the Full Self-Driving package price to $10,000, continuing a steady escalation from its original $3,000 in 2016. The software still required constant driver supervision despite the name. Musk continued to promise fully autonomous driving 'next year,' a prediction he had made annually since 2016 without delivery.
Tesla Puts 'FSD Beta' on Public Roads and Raises the Price to $10,000
Tesla began rolling out its 'Full Self-Driving' beta for city streets to a limited group of owners on October 20, 2020, making customers the testers of an unfinished system on public roads. Two days later Musk announced the FSD package price would rise by about $2,000, taking it to $10,000, and said it would keep climbing as features arrived.
Michigan Dealer-Backed Bill to Close Direct-Sales Door Behind Tesla Stalls
After Tesla's settlement, a dealer-backed bill in the Michigan legislature sought to stop other manufacturers without franchised dealers, such as Rivian and Lucid, from using the same route to sell and service cars directly. The House passed an amended version that would also have undercut Tesla's settlement, but the session ended without a Senate vote, leaving the loophole open for now.
Tesla Launches FSD Subscription at $199/Month
Tesla introduced a monthly FSD subscription at $199/month (or $99/month for owners who had bought the discontinued Enhanced Autopilot package), alongside the $10,000 one-time purchase price, creating recurring revenue from driver-assistance features. Owners of cars without the HW3 computer had to pay $1,500 for the hardware upgrade to subscribe.
Tesla Quotes $16,000 for a Repair an Independent Shop Did for $700
A widely shared case in which Tesla quoted $16,000 for a repair that an independent garage completed for $700 highlighted the cost of Tesla's control over repair. Tesla had been outspoken in opposing Massachusetts' 2020 auto right-to-repair ballot measure, which passed.
NHTSA Opens Autopilot Probe After Emergency Vehicle Crashes
NHTSA opened a formal investigation into Tesla's Autopilot after identifying 11 crashes since January 2018 in which Teslas using Autopilot or Traffic-Aware Cruise Control struck vehicles at first-responder scenes, injuring 17 people and killing one. The probe covered about 765,000 vehicles, nearly every Model S, X, 3 and Y sold in the U.S. from the 2014 to 2021 model years.
Tesla Acknowledges Service Waits of Weeks or Months as Fleet Outgrows Repair Capacity
On Tesla's Q3 2021 earnings call, CFO Zachary Kirkhorn acknowledged that service wait times had risen over the summer in Europe and North America, with some owners finding appointments weeks or even months out. He attributed the backlog to pent-up post-pandemic service demand, difficulty sourcing and moving parts, and labor-market constraints, and Tesla pledged to ramp its service teams.
Owen Diaz Awarded $137 Million in Racial Harassment Lawsuit
A federal jury awarded Owen Diaz, a Black elevator operator at Tesla's Fremont factory from 2015-2016, $137 million in damages for racial harassment. Diaz testified colleagues used racial slurs, told him to 'go back to Africa,' and left racist graffiti and drawings at his workspace. The award was later reduced to $15 million by the judge, and after a retrial, Diaz won $3.2 million. Tesla settled in March 2024.
California Civil Rights Department Sues Over Racial Harassment
The California Civil Rights Department (formerly DFEH) filed suit against Tesla alleging a 'pattern of racial harassment and bias' at the Fremont factory, describing it as a racially segregated workplace where Black employees were subjected to slurs, discrimination in assignments and discipline, and retaliation for complaints. Multiple women also filed separate lawsuits alleging workplace sexual harassment.
Musk Sells $8.5 Billion in Tesla Stock for Twitter Acquisition
Elon Musk sold about $8.5 billion of Tesla shares in late April 2022 to help finance his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, and later 2022 sales took his total for the year to roughly $23 billion. By December 2022 Tesla shares had fallen about 61% from their peak, investors worried Musk was too distracted by Twitter to run Tesla, and one of Tesla's largest individual shareholders publicly called for a new, full-time CEO. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Tesla's board chair questioning whether the board was meeting its fiduciary duty given Musk's Twitter conflicts.
Tesla Plans to Cut About 10% of Salaried Workforce
In emails reported by Reuters, Elon Musk said he had a 'super bad feeling' about the economy, told executives to pause hiring worldwide, and said Tesla would cut salaried headcount by about 10% because it had become overstaffed in many areas. Hourly headcount, including people building cars and battery packs, was to increase.
California DMV Accuses Tesla of Deceptive FSD Marketing
The California DMV filed formal accusations that Tesla's marketing of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving was deceptive, finding that claims like 'the system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat' were misleading given that both systems are SAE Level 2 requiring constant driver supervision. This began a three-year regulatory proceeding.
FSD Price Peaks at $15,000
Tesla raised the Full Self-Driving package to its highest-ever price of $15,000, five times the $3,000 it had cost as an add-on in 2016. The software still required constant driver supervision despite its name. Tesla had been removing FSD from used cars it bought back and resold since 2019, so owners trading their cars in to Tesla could lose the value of the software.
Tesla Reported to Face Justice Department Criminal Probe Over Self-Driving Claims
Reuters reported that the U.S. Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation the previous year into whether Tesla's and Musk's claims about Autopilot and self-driving capability misled consumers, investors and regulators, following more than a dozen crashes, some fatal. Tesla was not accused of wrongdoing.
Tesla Opens Its Charging Connector Design as the 'North American Charging Standard'
Tesla published the design and specification files for its charging connector and invited other automakers and network operators to adopt it, calling it the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Ford, GM and most other automakers adopted it over the following two years, turning a proprietary connector into an industry standard.
Tesla Slashes Prices Up to 20%, Undercutting Used Car Values
Tesla cut U.S. prices by up to 20%, with the Model Y Long Range dropping from $65,990 to $52,990 and the base Model 3 from $46,990 to $43,990, as it tried to spur demand. Repeated cuts through 2023 and 2024 dragged down resale values: a Fast Company analysis of CarGurus data found used Model Y and Model 3 asking prices fell about 25% between January 2024 and January 2025, more than any other car it tracked. Recent buyers saw their cars' value fall sharply.
Tesla Fires Buffalo Autopilot Workers a Day After Union Campaign Launch
A day after Autopilot data labelers at Tesla's Buffalo, New York, plant announced a union campaign with Tesla Workers United, Tesla fired more than 30 workers there, organizers said in an NLRB complaint. Tesla said the firings were routine performance terminations; an NLRB regional director later dismissed the retaliation charge but found some Tesla workplace rules unlawful.
Tesla Recalls 362,758 Cars Over FSD Beta Crash Risk
Under NHTSA pressure, Tesla recalled 362,758 vehicles equipped with FSD Beta, warning the software could act unsafely around intersections, such as going straight from a turn-only lane or rolling through stop signs, and respond poorly to speed-limit changes. The fix was an over-the-air update.
Two Right-to-Repair Antitrust Class Actions Filed Against Tesla
Two proposed class action lawsuits were filed in San Francisco federal court accusing Tesla of violating antitrust laws by monopolizing vehicle repair. The suits alleged Tesla structured warranties to discourage independent repair, designed vehicles so repairs required diagnostic and telematic data only Tesla could access, and limited access to manuals, diagnostic tools and OEM replacement parts, forcing owners to pay more and wait longer for service.
Reuters Reveals Tesla Employees Shared Cabin Camera Footage
Reuters reported that Tesla employees had shared highly invasive cabin and exterior camera footage from customer vehicles on internal chat systems between 2019 and 2022, including videos of children, nudity recorded in owners' garages, and crash footage. Tesla's privacy notice had said camera recordings were not linked to owners or their vehicles, which the sharing contradicted. Mozilla later cited the revelation in its September 2023 car privacy review.
Tesla Whistleblower Leaks 100GB of Data Exposing Privacy Violations
Handelsblatt reported that a whistleblower had leaked about 100 gigabytes of confidential Tesla files, more than 23,000 documents, including personal data on over 100,000 current and former employees and customer bank details. The 'Tesla Files' also contained thousands of customer complaints about Autopilot and FSD, including more than 2,400 about sudden acceleration and more than 1,500 about braking problems. Data-protection authorities in the Netherlands and Germany looked into possible GDPR violations.
Reuters: Tesla Rigged Range Estimates and Built a Team to Divert Complaints
Reuters reported that Tesla's dashboard range meters gave rosy projections and that in summer 2022 the company created a 'Diversion Team' in Las Vegas to cancel as many range-complaint service appointments as possible, sometimes hundreds of cases a week, with staff tracked on their daily diversions.
Mozilla Gives Tesla Every Privacy 'Ding' as All 25 Car Brands Fail
Mozilla's 'Privacy Not Included' review found all 25 car brands it studied failed its privacy standards and declared cars the worst product category it had ever reviewed. Tesla was only the second product ever to receive every one of Mozilla's privacy 'dings', driven by concerns about its untrustworthy AI and its record on privacy: employees sharing camera footage from customer cars and a whistleblower's leak of customer and employee data. Mozilla noted that cabin camera video can be shared with Tesla if owners enable data sharing.
EEOC Sues Tesla Over Widespread Racial Harassment at Fremont
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Tesla, alleging that since at least 2015 Black employees at the Fremont factory had routinely endured racial abuse, including variations of the N-word, 'monkey' and other epithets, and graffiti including swastikas, threats and nooses on desks, equipment, bathroom stalls, elevators and even new vehicles rolling off the production line. The EEOC also alleged retaliation, including terminations, against workers who objected.
IF Metall Begins Historic Strike Against Tesla in Sweden
Swedish union IF Metall launched strike action against Tesla's mechanics after the company refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement, making Tesla one of very few employers in Sweden to resist the near-universal collective-agreement system. Sympathy actions spread: Swedish dockworkers, postal workers and electricians joined, Danish transport workers blocked Tesla deliveries through Danish ports, and unions in Norway and Finland later joined. The dispute became the longest strike in modern Swedish history.
Tesla Recalls 2 Million Vehicles After NHTSA Autopilot Probe
After a two-year NHTSA investigation found that Autopilot's driver monitoring could be inadequate and 'can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system,' Tesla recalled more than 2 million vehicles, nearly every car it had sold in the U.S. NHTSA had sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016 suspected of involving automated systems, in which at least 17 people died. Tesla disagreed with the analysis but deployed an OTA update adding warnings and limits. NHTSA later opened a new investigation into whether the fix was effective.
Delaware Court Voids Musk's $56 Billion Compensation Package
Delaware Chancery Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled that Elon Musk's 2018 compensation package, then worth $56 billion, was improperly approved, finding Tesla's directors were conflicted and key facts were withheld from shareholders, and ordered the package rescinded. The Delaware Supreme Court reversed the remedy in December 2025, holding rescission was an improper remedy, restoring the package and awarding the plaintiff $1 in nominal damages.
Ford Owners Gain Supercharger Access as NACS Becomes the Industry Standard
Tesla opened more than 15,000 V3 Superchargers to Ford EV owners using adapters, with GM, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz and others following through 2024 as most automakers committed to Tesla's NACS connector, standardized as SAE J3400. Tesla had promised to open Superchargers to other EVs to qualify for federal charging-infrastructure funding. While pro-competitive, non-Tesla drivers paid higher rates (about 55 cents per kWh without a membership) than Tesla owners.
Tesla Lays Off 14,000 Workers in Largest-Ever Cuts
Tesla laid off over 14,000 employees, approximately 10% of its global workforce, in the largest layoffs in company history. The cuts affected every department and were concentrated in Texas and California. Senior VP Drew Baglino and VP Rohan Patel departed. Two weeks later, Musk fired the entire 500-person Supercharger team after its director Rebecca Tinucci disagreed with additional cuts, surprising the EV industry since the Supercharger network was considered Tesla's greatest competitive advantage.
Shareholders Re-Ratify Musk's 2018 Pay and Approve Move to Texas
Five months after a Delaware judge voided Musk's 2018 pay package, finding the board lacked independence, Tesla shareholders voted about 77% in favor of ratifying it and approved reincorporating the company in Texas.
Court Allows Parts Monopoly Class Action to Proceed
U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson revived a proposed class action accusing Tesla of antitrust violations by monopolizing vehicle repair and parts, allowing owners to try to prove Tesla coerced them into paying high prices and enduring long waits under threat of losing warranty coverage. The consolidated complaint combined five suits by owners who had paid for Tesla repairs and parts since March 2019.
Owners Report Tesla Service Waits of Nearly Two Months
After Tesla cut staff, including in Service, during its 2024 layoffs, owners reported waiting as long as about two months for service appointments; one new Charlotte service center was booked 52 days out.
NHTSA Opens FSD Probe Covering 2.4 Million Vehicles
NHTSA opened a new investigation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving system covering 2.4 million vehicles after a fatal crash in low-visibility conditions. This came on top of the existing Autopilot probe and the effectiveness investigation of the December 2023 recall. NHTSA threatened $135.8 million in fines if Tesla failed to provide recall data by July 2024.
Tesla Uses Tribal-Land and Online Loopholes to Sidestep State Direct-Sales Bans
Tesla continued to challenge dealer-franchise laws that bar manufacturers from selling directly to consumers, sidestepping bans in many states through leasing-only models, out-of-state transactions, and stores on sovereign tribal land in Connecticut and New Mexico. Several states, including Texas, Louisiana and Connecticut, still restricted Tesla's sales model, and a U.S. appeals court had just upheld Tesla's right to sue Louisiana over its ban.
Musk Endorses Far-Right AfD Party Ahead of German Election
Elon Musk publicly endorsed Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the February 2025 federal election, posting that 'only the AfD can save Germany,' and in January 2025 addressed an AfD campaign rally by video. Tesla's new registrations in Germany fell about 60% year-over-year in January 2025 while the country's battery-electric market grew about 54%. Tesla sales also fell 45% across Europe and 63% in France that month.
Tesla Opens Its Electronic Parts Catalog to Public Purchases
Tesla began letting owners buy parts for the Model S, 3, X and Y through its public Electronic Parts Catalog, a step toward right to repair, although some restricted parts still require a service ticket.
Musk Takes DOGE Role Under Trump Administration
Elon Musk assumed leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration while remaining Tesla CEO. The dual role created an unprecedented conflict of interest: the CEO of a company subject to NHTSA regulation and benefiting from EV tax credits led an executive branch cost-cutting initiative. Tesla's Q1 2025 profits plunged 71% and sales declined 13% as the brand became inextricably linked to divisive politics.
Tesla Requires 3% Ownership to Bring Shareholder Derivative Suits
Using a new Texas law, Tesla amended its bylaws to require a shareholder or group to hold at least 3% of its stock, then worth more than $30 billion, to bring a derivative suit over breaches of fiduciary duty. The suit that voided Musk's 2018 pay had been brought by a holder of nine shares.
Buyers Drop Tesla Repair-Monopoly Class Action
Plaintiffs in the consolidated antitrust suit accusing Tesla of monopolizing repairs and replacement parts agreed to end the case, which a judge had allowed to proceed in 2024, without a ruling on the merits.
Jury Awards $243 Million in Autopilot Wrongful Death Case
A Miami federal jury ordered Tesla to pay $243 million (including $200 million in punitive damages) in the Benavides v. Tesla case, finding Autopilot defective in a 2019 crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon. Jurors assigned 33% fault to Tesla, finding the technology failed to alert or brake when the driver was momentarily distracted. A judge denied Tesla's motion to overturn the verdict in February 2026.
Judge Certifies Class of California FSD Buyers
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin certified a class action by California drivers who bought Full Self-Driving, finding that whether Tesla's cars lacked the hardware for high-level autonomy was a common question. She noted that Tesla's website claimed from October 2016 to August 2024 that its cars had the hardware for full self-driving.
Tesla Proposes $1 Trillion Compensation Package for Musk
Tesla proposed a new CEO compensation plan for Musk consisting of 12 tranches of shares tied to market cap milestones reaching $8.5 trillion, with a potential value up to $1 trillion. The package would increase Musk's ownership from 13% to 25%. Both ISS and Glass Lewis recommended shareholders vote against it, calling it excessive. Shareholders approved it in November 2025 with 75% support.
NHTSA Opens FSD Traffic-Violation Investigation Covering 2.88 Million Vehicles
NHTSA opened a new investigation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving covering about 2.88 million vehicles after linking dozens of incidents to FSD running red lights, crossing into opposing lanes and making improper lane changes, including complaints, media reports and crash reports under its Standing General Order. Several reports came from a single Maryland intersection that Tesla said it had since addressed. By December 2025 the agency had identified at least 80 such violations.
Cheaper 'Standard' Model 3 and Model Y Launch Without Autosteer
Tesla launched Standard versions of the Model 3 ($36,990) and Model Y ($39,990) that drop Autosteer, keeping only traffic-aware cruise control, along with other equipment such as the rear screen, FM radio and some speakers.
Tesla Restores Model 3 Turn-Signal Stalk, Charges $595 to Retrofit
After years of complaints about stalkless steering, Tesla brought back a turn-signal stalk on the Model 3 and offered U.S. owners of earlier cars a retrofit for $595, including a new steering wheel and control module.
Shareholders Approve Musk's $1 Trillion Pay Plan; xAI Proposal Fails
Tesla shareholders approved Musk's pay plan worth up to about $1 trillion with 75% of votes cast, over opposition from ISS and Glass Lewis; it would raise his stake from about 13% to 25%. A separate shareholder proposal to let Tesla invest in Musk's xAI drew more votes for than against but failed because abstentions count as votes against.
Musk Extends 'One-Time' FSD Transfer Offer Again
At the shareholder meeting Musk extended, for at least another quarter, the offer letting owners move a purchased FSD license to a new Tesla. Tesla's standing policy was that FSD licenses do not transfer between cars, and it had used repeated 'one-time' transfer windows since 2023 as a sales incentive tying owners' FSD investment to buying another Tesla.
Tesla Cracks Consumer Reports' Top 10 Brands on Improved Reliability
Tesla rose from 18th to 10th in Consumer Reports' 2026 Brand Report Card, which the magazine attributed to more reliable vehicles as Tesla refined existing models rather than redesigning them; its powertrain reliability stood out among EVs.
California Judge Rules Tesla FSD Marketing 'Deceptive'
A California judge ruled Tesla engaged in 'deceptive marketing,' finding the name 'Full Self-Driving' was 'actually, unambiguously false and counterfactual' and that 'Autopilot' followed 'a long but unlawful tradition of intentionally using ambiguity to mislead consumers.' Tesla was given 60 days to fix marketing claims or face a 30-day sales suspension. Tesla subsequently dropped the Autopilot name and moved FSD to subscription-only.
Delaware Supreme Court Restores Musk's 2018 Pay Package
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed the rescission of Musk's 2018 package, worth about $56 billion when it vested, awarding $1 in nominal damages and cutting the plaintiff lawyers' fee; it left intact the lower court's findings that Musk controlled Tesla and the plan was unfair.
NHTSA Opens Model 3 Emergency Door-Release Probe
NHTSA opened a defect petition review covering 179,071 model year 2022 Model 3s over claims that the mechanical door release is hidden and unlabeled, after a September 2025 probe into about 174,290 Model Y cars whose electronic door handles could stop working. Tesla also faced lawsuits over occupants allegedly trapped in burning cars.
Tesla Shifts FSD to Subscription-Only, Eliminating Purchase Option
Tesla announced FSD would be available only as a $99/month subscription starting February 14, 2026, ending the one-time purchase option that had ranged from $3,000 to $15,000 over the years. For Model S, Model X and Cybertruck Luxe Package vehicles ordered afterward, the included FSD became non-transferable to second owners. The shift also served Musk's pay-package goal of 10 million active FSD subscriptions.
Tesla Removes Standard Autosteer, Paywalling Lane-Keeping
Tesla removed Basic Autopilot's Autosteer from new Model 3 and Model Y orders in North America, leaving only traffic-aware cruise control. Lane-keeping, standard on every Tesla for nearly seven years and on many economy cars, now requires the $99/month FSD subscription.
Tesla Invests $2 Billion in Musk's xAI Despite Failed Shareholder Vote
Tesla disclosed a $2 billion investment in xAI and a framework agreement for AI collaboration, although shareholders had rejected a proposal authorizing it in November. The same report showed 2025 profit down 46% and, for the first time, active FSD subscriptions (1.1 million), a metric tied to Musk's pay plan.
Tesla Ends Model S and X to Build Optimus Robots
On its Q4 2025 call Tesla, reporting its first annual revenue decline, said it would end Model S and Model X production and convert their Fremont lines to build Optimus humanoid robots, shifting investment from cars to robotics and autonomy.
Luxe Package FSD Becomes Non-Transferable
After ending one-time FSD purchases on February 14, 2026, Tesla changed its terms so the FSD included in the Luxe Package on the Model S, Model X and Cyberbeast no longer transfers to a subsequent owner; second owners must subscribe.
Tesla Drops 'Autopilot' in California to Avoid License Suspension
California's DMV said Tesla had stopped using the term 'Autopilot' in its California marketing, as ordered after the December 2025 deceptive-marketing decision, so its dealer and manufacturer licenses would not be suspended for 30 days. Tesla had earlier added 'Supervised' to Full Self-Driving.
Judge Upholds $243 Million Autopilot Wrongful-Death Verdict
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom rejected Tesla's bid to overturn the $243 million Benavides v. Tesla verdict (including $200 million in punitive damages), writing that the 'evidence admitted at trial more than supports the jury verdict' that Autopilot was defective in the 2019 crash that killed Naibel Benavides Leon. Tesla had rejected a $60 million settlement offer before trial and was expected to appeal. The ruling left standing one of the largest product-liability awards against an automaker at a time when Electrek counted at least 21 legal tracks against Tesla and roughly 50-60 fatal crashes involving Autopilot or FSD.
Tesla Sues California DMV to Reverse FSD False-Advertising Ruling
Rather than accept the December 2025 administrative finding that its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving marketing was deceptive, Tesla sued the California DMV in a complaint dated Feb. 13, 2026, alleging the agency had 'wrongfully and baselessly' labeled it a false advertiser. The suit came after the DMV had said on Feb. 17 that Tesla had cleaned up its marketing and no license suspension was needed; Tesla now sells 'Full Self-Driving (Supervised)' only by subscription. Suing the regulator to overturn a deception finding marked an escalation from compliance to active legal resistance.
Anti-Union Campaign Cuts IG Metall's Share at Giga Berlin
IG Metall's share of the Giga Berlin works council vote fell from 39.4% to 31.1% after a management campaign that included calling police on a union representative at a council meeting in February, anti-union buttons, and a video from Musk warning that the plant would not expand if the union gained influence. The management-aligned list won 40.4%.
NHTSA Escalates FSD Visibility Probe to Engineering Analysis (3.2M Vehicles)
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation upgraded its Tesla FSD probe from a Preliminary Evaluation to a formal Engineering Analysis (EA26002) covering an estimated 3.2 million vehicles — the last step before the agency can compel a recall. The investigation focuses on FSD's failure to warn drivers when cameras are blinded by sun glare, fog, and airborne dust, citing nine documented crashes including one fatality and at least two injury crashes. Tesla conceded that even its updated degradation-detection software 'may have affected' only three of the nine incidents.
NHTSA Closes Smart Summon Probe After OTA Fixes
NHTSA closed its investigation into 'Actually Smart Summon' covering about 2.6 million vehicles after finding 159 incidents, all minor property damage, and concluding that six over-the-air updates addressed the issues. No recall was required.
Dutch Regulator Approves FSD (Supervised)
The Netherlands' RDW issued a type approval for FSD (Supervised) after more than 18 months of testing, stressing it is a driver-assistance system and not self-driving, with possible later admission across the EU. Reuters later reported that Tesla had given the RDW misleading safety figures.
Tesla Sues North Dakota Over Direct-Sales Ban
Tesla asked a North Dakota court to let it open stores and service centers in Bismarck and Fargo despite a state law requiring manufacturers to sell through franchised dealers, noting more than 800 Teslas registered in the state had to be bought elsewhere.
Tesla Confirms HW3 Can Never Achieve Unsupervised FSD
On the Q1 2026 earnings call, Tesla formally confirmed that Hardware 3, installed in millions of vehicles built from 2019, cannot achieve unsupervised Full Self-Driving, with Musk citing memory bandwidth as the choke point (HW3 has one-eighth that of HW4). The admission reversed years of explicit promises that the cars had all the hardware needed for full autonomy. Tesla said owners who had bought FSD could get a free computer and camera retrofit or a discounted trade-in, an estimated $3,000-$5,000 paid upgrade may follow for others, and a 'V14 Lite' software update for HW3 was promised for late June. Some owners had paid $8,000-$15,000 for FSD on hardware Tesla now concedes can never deliver it.
Tesla Recalls ~219,000 Vehicles Over Delayed Rearview Camera
Tesla issued a recall affecting roughly 219,000 Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles after finding a software configuration could delay rearview camera imagery to the Media Control Unit by up to 11 seconds when reversing, violating Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 for rear visibility. As of May 1, Tesla was aware of 27 warranty claims and two field reports but no collisions or injuries. A separate May 2026 recall covered 14,575 Model Y vehicles for missing certification labels discovered during a routine Fremont audit.
Tesla Eases Diagnostic Access for Independent Repairers
Tesla's 2026.14 Spring Update let independent repairers, owners and technicians with Tesla Toolbox credentials authenticate for Service Mode Plus diagnostics, calibration and troubleshooting by scanning a QR code on the vehicle.
Tesla Unredacts Its Robotaxi Crash Narratives
Tesla, the only automated-driving operator that had marked every NHTSA crash narrative as confidential business information, refiled its 17 Austin robotaxi crash reports (July 2025 to March 2026) without redactions. Most were other drivers hitting the Tesla; one caused a minor injury requiring hospitalization.
Reuters: Tesla Gave Misleading FSD Safety Data to European Regulators
A Reuters investigation found Tesla presented inflated, self-published FSD safety statistics to regulators in Sweden and the Netherlands while lobbying for European type approval, including claims that FSD vehicles travel over seven times farther between crashes and a slide asserting FSD could have prevented 32,000 deaths. Ten of eleven independent traffic-safety researchers who reviewed the methodology called it misleading marketing, with safety overstated by roughly a factor of three. The Dutch RDW said it relies on its own tests rather than marketing claims, but several states had already recognized its original approval.
Dutch HW3 Collective Claim Reaches 7,000 Owners
A Netherlands collective claim over Tesla's unfulfilled HW3 FSD promises grew to nearly 7,000 owners and secured backing from law firm Kennedy Van der Laan. Claimants argue Tesla never submitted HW3 for FSD type approval (the RDW confirmed in writing on May 13, 2026 that only HW4 was ever submitted) and that every HW3 owner paid a price reflecting the promised capability. The claim seeks part of each car's catalogue value, plus a refund of the separately purchased FSD package, which cost up to 6,400 euros in the Netherlands.
Tesla Settles First FSD Pedestrian-Death Lawsuit
Tesla settled, on undisclosed terms, the suit over the November 2023 death of 71-year-old Johna Story, struck by a Model Y using FSD on an Arizona highway amid sun glare. The crash underlies NHTSA's reduced-visibility investigation now covering 3.2 million vehicles.
FSD v14 'Lite' Begins Rolling Out to HW3 Cars
Tesla began rolling out FSD v14 'Lite' to early-access Hardware 3 owners, the first major FSD update for HW3 cars since early 2025, adding newer driving behavior and parking features. It remains a supervised Level 2 system, confirming HW3 owners will not get the unsupervised capability they were promised.
FSD Reaches 1.48 Million Paying Users as Tesla Pushes Subscriptions
Tesla's Q2 2026 results showed about 1.48 million active FSD users, up 56% year on year, with about 55% of North American deliveries carrying FSD at delivery; Tesla said most future FSD monetization growth would come from subscriptions now that it had removed the purchase option in most markets.
NHTSA Denies Model 3 Door-Release Defect Petition, Starts Door-Safety Rulemaking
NHTSA denied the petition for a defect investigation into hidden Model 3 manual door releases, finding a single matching complaint, but agreed to consider an industry-wide rule requiring emergency door egress when a car loses power.
NHTSA Probes 1.2 Million Model 3 and Model Y Cars Over Suspension Failures
NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation of about 1.2 million 2018-2020 and 2023 Model 3 and 2021-2023 Model Y vehicles after 156 complaints that the front lower lateral link detached, which can cause loss of steering control, mostly without warning. The failures go beyond two earlier, smaller suspension recalls.
Tesla Ends Sweden's 1,021-Day Strike by Buying Out Strikers
IF Metall called off its strike against Tesla, begun in October 2023 over Tesla's refusal to sign a collective agreement, effective August 19, 2026, saying Tesla had bought out all its remaining striking members. Tesla never signed an agreement.
NHTSA Audits Cybercab Self-Certification After Austin Fare Launch
After Tesla began charging fares for Cybercab rides in Austin, NHTSA opened an Audit Query into Tesla's certification that the vehicle, which has no steering wheel or pedals, meets all federal motor vehicle safety standards, including whether Tesla deemed some standards inapplicable.
California's Fremont Race-Discrimination Case Goes to Trial
Trial began in the California Civil Rights Department's 2022 suit alleging segregation, slurs and lower pay for Black workers at Fremont, covering more than 6,000 workers; the state says Black workers earned about $1,533 a month less than white workers from June 2018 to June 2024. The EEOC's parallel suit is in mediation.
Evidence (67 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (8 entries)
Checked 12 removed/trimmed claims: 1 restored, 4 partly restored, 7 confirmed removed. Restored: 2018 injury days lost 22,454 vs 7,619 (Insurance Journal/Bloomberg 2019-03-19) plus 2015 injury rate 8.8, 31% above industry (EHS Today 2017-06-12, Worksafe analysis), both added as new timeline items. Partly restored: 2018 service strain (SF Chronicle 2018-07-27; 4-8 week and technician-ratio figures left out); Michigan bill to close direct-sales loophole for Rivian/Lucid (Electrek 2020-12-22; bill stalled, so 'benefited only Tesla' left out); 28.9% used-Tesla price drop re-dated to Feb 2023-Feb 2024 (InsideEVs/iSeeCars evidence; 17-25% cuts, $42,990 and Plaid 60% left out); union resistance evidence re-sourced to NLRB 2021 ruling (The Register). Confirmed removed: 2015 service-restriction event, 'base $3,000 Autopilot' bundling (contradicted by Electrek), Fremont 'without protective measures' (county safety plan with PPE), '26 states' (only low-quality sources), 'longest since 1938' (sources say modern history), HW3 '4 million'/'first time' (low-quality sources; Jan 2025 Musk admission), cambridgeanalytica.org evidence (AI content site).
Checked 106 items + prose. 51 verified, 36 corrected (8 date-only), 15 re-sourced, 4 removed (1 fabricated source: cambridgeanalytica.org article; 2 unsupported placeholder events; 1 unreliable advocacy page). Invented: 10-K 'cabin behavioral data offered to fleet operators' claim; nonexistent dual-class share proposal. Fixed Mozilla ranking/Nissan data attribution, HW3 fleet size and years, FSD transferability, repair-suit outcome, used-price figures, price-cut size, SEC-era FSD price, market share, union and injury claims.
64→58. Since Sep 2025: $1T Musk pay approved (Nov 2025), Delaware restored 2018 pay, DMV deceptive-marketing finding then compliance (Feb 2026), standard Autosteer paywalled (Jan 2026), FSD subscription-only + Luxe non-transferable, $2B xAI investment despite failed vote, Model S/X ended, HW3 unsupervised-FSD reversal, NHTSA EA 3.2M + suspension probe 1.2M + Cybercab audit, Swedish strike ended by buyouts, Giga Berlin anti-union campaign, CRD trial began, CR reliability top 10. D1 7→6 (recalibration: brand/sales losses are not user-value erosion and reliability improved; Autosteer paywall + HW3 keep it at 6), D2 6→4 (correction: repair suit was dropped without a merits ruling, not resolved against Tesla; parts catalog opened Jan 2025 and paid Toolbox/Service Mode Plus access for independents eased Apr 2026, so tools available at a cost fits 4-5), D3 7→6 (recalibration: no buybacks/dividends and heavy reinvestment; value extraction via CEO pay and xAI related-party deal fits 6), D4 6→5 (recalibration: NACS opened charging; subscription FSD lowers sunk cost though it no longer transfers), D6 8→7 (recalibration: deception concentrated in autonomy marketing, purchase/cancel flows clean, Tesla complied with DMV order), D7 4→5 (event: Autosteer moved behind $99 FSD subscription, subscription-only FSD, FSD subs reported as pay-plan metric), D8 4→3 (recalibration: open NACS, direct-sales fights, falling share fit 2-3; aftermarket control only). D5, D9, D10 unchanged. Eras: all 6 re-dated to inflection events (2008-03-01→2008-03-17 Roadster production; 2012-06-01→2012-06-22 Model S launch; 2017-07-01→2016-10-19 HW2 FSD promise, relabeled 'Production Hell & SEC Crisis'→'FSD Promise & Production Hell'; 2020-06-01→2020-10-20 FSD Beta release, relabeled 'Surveillance & FSD Escalation'→'FSD Beta Monetization'; 2023-01-01→2023-01-13 price cuts; final era 2026-06-29 (assessment date)→2025-01-20 DOGE role); new era 'Subscription & Robotaxi Pivot' from 2026-01-14 (FSD subscription-only announcement). All eras re-scored from criteria.
Checked 2 alternatives. Hyundai: standard Ioniq 6 dropped from the U.S. for 2026, swapped for Ioniq 9; removed 'none of Tesla's surveillance' claim contradicted by the record's Mozilla entry; added NACS/400V charging caveat. Kia: stripped comparative score phrase, verified HDA2 standard on EV6 Wind, noted Hyundai Motor Group affiliation.
Periodic rescore: HW3 unsupervised-FSD reversal (~4M vehicles) and 2026 recalls drove D1 6→7; court deception finding + DMV countersuit + misleading EU safety data + HW3 bait-and-switch drove D6 7→8; NHTSA engineering analysis (3.2M vehicles), DMV countersuit, and upheld $243M verdict drove D10 6→7. D4/D5 reviewed, no band change.