First Tesla Customer to Receive Autonomous Model Y Delivery Denies Reports That His Vehicle Drove Back to Tesla Because His Check Bounced – Adds, “I Was Worried for a Moment”

Elon Musk has just revealed to the world that Tesla has completed the first-ever vehicle delivery where the car drove on its own to the owner’s home.

This represents a major milestone for Tesla and the wider automotive sector, and Tesla enthusiasts are justly celebrating this achievement.

Emphasizing the achievement even further, Elon Musk also revealed that the vehicle delivery was truly autonomous, meaning there were no people inside the Model Y and no input from Tesla remote operators at any stage of the delivery.

Musk also mentioned that the drive to the customer’s home included highway driving and complex parking lots, marking this the first truly autonomous Tesla ride without any person inside the vehicle that has gone on the highway.

This is all quite positive; however, as we celebrate this milestone, reports began circulating online claiming that the recently delivered autonomous Model Y had driven back to Tesla on its own because the owner’s down payment check bounced.

Since the vehicle has just driven itself from the factory to the new owner’s home, it is technically possible for Tesla to recall the vehicle autonomously back to the company.

Having said that, even if it's technically feasible, it felt far-fetched that Tesla would take such an action immediately following the first delivery of autonomous vehicles.

Most of us dismissed these claims, which were first shared by Tesla investor and online personality Whole Mars Catalog (Omar Qazi), as a joke.

Omar wrote…

“The autonomously delivered Tesla is now heading back to the factory driverlessly after the customer’s down payment check bounced.”

However, one person who did not take this claim as a joke is Jose — the Austin, Texas resident whom Tesla chose to be the first to receive a Model Y autonomously from the factory.

In response, Jose said that the reports claiming his Model Y drove back to Tesla are not true.

Jose, responding to Whole Mars Catalog’s post, wrote…

“FAKE NEWS! I WAS THE ONE WHO RECEIVED THE AUTONOMOUS MODEL Y DELIVERY!”

Below his post, Jose shared a picture of himself standing next to several Tesla employees, including Tesla’s vice president of AI, Ashok Elluswamy.

FAKE NEWS! I WAS THE ONE THAT RECEIVED IT! pic.twitter.com/TtG3k31rrR

— Jose (@Jagarzaf) June 27, 2025

Following Jose’s complete rebuttal of the claim, his Model Y drove back to Tesla. Omar apologized, clarifying he only meant the whole thing as a joke.

In response, Jose says it’s okay, but for a moment, he actually got worried thinking that his vehicle might have driven back to Tesla.

Jose writes…

“No worries. I got a bit worried when I saw your post.”

No worries 😂 got a bit worried when I say your post

— Jose (@Jagarzaf) June 28, 2025

We are truly in a new era where vehicle owners can genuinely fear that manufacturers might repossess their cars autonomously if they miss payments.

In addition to denying reports that his Model Y drove back autonomously to Tesla, Jose also shared some details about how he ended up receiving the first autonomous car delivery.

Jose states he has no special ties to Tesla and has never worked for the company. He mentions that, like everyone else, he ordered a Model Y online from the Tesla website.

However, when his delivery day arrived, Tesla unexpectedly called him on Tuesday and asked if he would like his vehicle to be delivered autonomously from the factory.

Jose says he agreed, and three days later, his vehicle drove itself to his doorstep.

Jose writes…

“They called me on Tuesday and asked if I wanted to be the first customer to receive the car autonomously. Very random! Did not expect it at all. And of course, I said yes.

Also, I am not affiliated with Tesla at all—just a regular customer.”

Another thing Tesla fans wanted to know was whether Jose’s vehicle was running a different version of FSD software, which allows autonomous vehicle delivery.

However, to people’s surprise, Jose says his Model Y is running the same FSD 13.2.9 version that’s available for all Model Ys.

Overall, people are excited about a future where vehicles can drive themselves to customers, but also feel somewhat uneasy about the prospect of these vehicles returning autonomously if commanded by the automaker.

However, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the RED “Add new comment” button below. Also, be sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says Tesla is Treating the Wrap & Magnets He Put Over His Cybertruck as “Physical Damage” – Adds, “Tesla is Deducting My Trade-in Value Because of It”

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.