The Tesla Model 3 might be seeing an update in response to a mixed review. After issues with the vehicle were noted by Consumer Reports in a review the company is responding in a variety of ways.
The review published by Consumer Reports looked at the vehicle and declared it a mixed bag. They praised many elements but criticized others. The main downside they noticed had to do with its braking performance. The review noted that it had a “stopping distance of 152 feet from 60 mph.”
This means that if a driver hits the brakes on a Model 3 while the vehicle is driving at 60 miles per hour, it might continue on for 152 feet before coming to a complete stop. Consumer Reports noted that this was a long distance, especially compared to cars that are similar in design and profile to the Model 3. They noted that such a stopping distance was more in line with a large pickup.
Responses to the Consumer Reports review came quickly from Tesla fans, critics, and employees. The most important responses came from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In a series of messages posted on Twitter, Elon Musk made it clear that he is looking to address any issues that Consumer Reports might have found. At the same time, Mr. Musk suggested that the problem might not be on Tesla’s end.
Tesla isn’t taking the review standing down. Musk began his first response by noting that Consumer Reports’ findings were “inconsistent with other reviewers.” However, this doesn’t mean that he completely denies the possibility that Tesla might have a real issue on their hand. He went on to say that the review might “indicate that some Model 3’s have longer braking distances than others.”
While Elon Musk did push back against some of the criticism he also made it clear that Tesla is working to address any potential issues with the brake systems on the Model 3. Musk suggested on Twitter that the issue might be fixed with a “firmware update” that would come in a matter of days.
Consumer Reports hasn’t been silent in the aftermath of their review. In response to Musk’s promised solution, the company suggested that they would re-test their Model 3 after any future update has been rolled out. Only time and further testing will show how things work out for Tesla’s latest model.