*By Jeffrey Marcus* Consumer Reports magazine reversed course Wednesday and recommended Tesla's Model 3 only a week after warning about the vehicle's braking system. The magazine's director of automotive testing, Jake Fisher, said the electric automaker changed the braking system software with an "over-the-air update" that [improved the Model 3's stopping distance](https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/tesla-model-3-gets-cr-recommendation-after-braking-update/) by almost 20 feet. “I’ve been at CR for 19 years and tested more than 1,000 cars, and I’ve never seen a car that could improve its track performance with an over-the-air update," said Fisher. A week ago, the company found that a Model 3 going 60 miles an hour needed 152 feet to stop ー 20 feet more than other cars in its class. Fisher said at the time he told Tesla's CEO Elon Musk he would re-evaluate the car after Tesla made upgrades. "Tesla listened to those results, they found the problem and they were able to update the vehicles remotely with an over-the-air update," Fisher said in a interview Wednesday with Cheddar. "We got our update this weekend, we did our testing yesterday." The changes shortened the distance it took for a Model 3 to stop, bringing it inline with other compact luxury cars and Tesla's own claims. "I've never seen anything like this, where you can actually update braking performance," Fisher said. "That's something that a lot of people didn't think was possible." The update was enough to impress Fisher, but it didn't address all of Consumer Reports' concerns. The magazine also cited the Model 3 for wind noise, a stiff ride, and uncomfortable rear seats, issues [Musk assured the magazine](https://www.consumerreports.org/tesla-model-3/elon-musk-tells-consumer-reports-tesla-will-fix-model-3-flaws/) he would address. Additional concerns about the car's audio, phone, and climate controls could be handled with another over-the-air software upgrade, Musk said. Consumer Reports said it would take the unusual step of renting a Model 3 from Tesla to test it again. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/consumer-reports-changes-recommendation-for-tesla-model-3).

Share:
More In Business
Tony Awards draw best audience in 6 years for CBS
The Tony Awards on Sunday lured 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years. CBS says Monday that Nielsen data shows the telecast — hosted by “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo — scored a 38% increase over last year’s 3.53 million viewers. That’s the largest audience for the Tonys since 2019, when the telecast that year nabbed 5.4 million viewers and “Hadestown” was crowned best new musical. The latest version also had to compete with the second game of the NBA Finals, between the Thunder and Pacers,
Apple unveils software redesign while reeling from AI missteps
After stumbling out of the starting gate in Big Tech’s pivotal race to capitalize on artificial intelligence, Apple tried to regain its footing Monday during a developers conference that focused mostly on incremental advances and cosmetic changes in its technology.
DA: Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing said he ‘had it coming’
Six weeks before UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel last December, Luigi Mangione mused about rebelling against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel” and expressed that killing the executive “conveys a greedy bastard that had it coming."
Load More