Tesla owner horrified after discovering damage to their vehicle: 'Not sure what happened here'

A Tesla driver got an unwelcome surprise — and a head-scratching mystery — after walking out to their 2024 Model 3 one morning.

In a post titled "Found my Tesla like this today…" shared on the r/TeslaModel3 subreddit, one Redditor shared a photo of their EV with an odd round panel on the front bumper completely popped out, wires hanging loosely beneath it.

"Was fine last night when I parked it," the user wrote. "Not sure what happened here. Found this hanging out of my front bumper."

The image shows what appears to be the tow hook cover removed — a common target for thieves looking to access wiring or sensors underneath. In some cases, criminals have been known to steal ultrasonic or radar sensors, or even pry open front-end compartments for more valuable components.

Commenters were quick to identify the wires. "Those wires are used to pop the frunk if the 12v battery is dead.  Likely someone tried to break into the frunk to see if you had anything worth stealing in there," a Redditor responded. 

Beyond the cost and frustration for electric vehicle owners, vandalism like this poses a broader issue: It slows down our shift to cleaner transportation. Electric vehicles reduce harmful emissions that pollute the air and heat up our planet. And while concerns about battery manufacturing are common, even EVs with the most resource-intensive batteries still create less air and environmental pollution over time than traditional gas-powered cars.

Unfortunately, as EV adoption rises, so do incidents of charger cable theft, charger vandalism, and vehicle damage like this — all of which erode public confidence and slow momentum.

Thankfully, there are growing efforts to curb these incidents. Cities across the U.S. are installing well-lit, camera-monitored public chargers, per the Pew Research Center, while companies like Tesla and ChargePoint continue to improve built-in security features, as the Verge reported. Drivers can also enable features like Sentry Mode to record suspicious activity and park in safer, more visible spots when possible.

Redditors did not hold back and joined in with frustration over their own experiences. Discussing car thefts, one user joked, "Someone broke into a friend's van, stole a 30 dollar power tool and left a $1500 surfboard." Another added, "This is a fairly low effort method to get into a trunk; while also being quiet AND fast."

This odd act of vandalism is a good reminder that while EVs are helping build a cleaner future, community awareness and education go a long way toward protecting that progress. 

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