A US Army veteran from North Carolina and avid Tesla fan is thanking the electric vehicle maker for making things right after his much-anticipated Tesla Cybertruck ended up being a suspected lemon. It took a lot of effort on the Cybertruck owner’s part before his apparent lemon Cybertruck was replaced, however.
Tesla enthusiast Lamar MK was among the customers fortunate enough to take delivery of the Cybertruck Foundation Series in March. At the time, the all-electric pickup truck was still a very rare sight on public roads. But over the weeks and months, the US Army veteran and his all-electric pickup truck’s honeymoon turned into something far worse.
I officially joined the Tesla family around 11 months ago, but I’ve always been a fan. Yesterday, when I received my replacement Cybertruck, my confidence in the brand was completely restored. This level of customer service is exactly what I expect from a company I love and… pic.twitter.com/Gqab2WqHn0— Lamar MK (@LamarMK) May 24, 2024
Much to the Tesla owner’s aggravation, his Cybertruck started showing problems. Over the next weeks and months, the Cybertruck would be in and out of the service center. Error codes were one thing, but after the Cybertruck was still not cooperating despite having major parts like its dashboard replaced, the US Army veteran had enough. He wanted Tesla to replace his Cybertruck, which was starting to look more and more like a lemon.
TESLA MADE IT RIGHT GUYS! I GOT A BRAND NEW CYBERTRUCK! THANK YOU ? @Tesla @cybertruck @elonmusk @tesla_na @troyrjones pic.twitter.com/9AfVaPlop9— Lamar MK (@LamarMK) May 23, 2024
As noted in an autoevolution report, North Carolina law indicates that a consumer who is dissatisfied with their purchase can get a replacement unit or their money back. Tesla reportedly offered to reimburse the US Army veteran, but Lamar MK wanted to get a replacement unit instead. A refund, the Tesla owner noted, would probably mean that he would be moved back to the Cybertruck order queue, and that’s something he would not like to do.
I'M SO IN LOVE AGAIN! TESLA MADE IT RIGHT! I GOT A NEW CYBERTRUCK!!! ? @elonmusk @Tesla @cybertruck @tesla_na pic.twitter.com/0l1rMkIrWN— Lamar MK (@LamarMK) May 24, 2024
The US Army veteran’s story was shared widely on social media platform X, and though Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not interact with the EV owner’s posts, Lamar MK recently published a video revealing that Tesla did honor his request and replaced his Cybertruck. The replacement Cybertruck, as per the Tesla owner, seemed better built than his first vehicle. The cabin trim was all lined up, the tonneau was quieter, and there were no obvious panel gaps. Even the A/C was reportedly quieter.
Cybertruck in the Wild: Public FREAKS OUT! See Their REACTIONS! ? @cybertruck @elonmusk @Tesla @tesla_na @YouTube pic.twitter.com/NTvhMkWYRU— Lamar MK (@LamarMK) May 27, 2024
Tesla would likely closely study the US Army veteran’s first Cybertruck to determine what caused its problems. For now, however, the story at least ends on a partly happy note. The Cybertruck owner received a new truck, and Tesla got some praise from the EV community for making things right for its customers. The only ones unhappy are Tesla critics, who now argue that by replacing the US Army veteran’s pickup truck, Tesla is delaying the delivery of other Cybertruck customers. Fortunately, Giga Texas is pumping out cyber trucks at a rapid pace, so perhaps the delays for other customers won’t be too substantial.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
News
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”
The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.
However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”
It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.
One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.
Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.
This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
