There are both nepotistic and noble reasons for this. There are biased buyers who are totally committed and trust the progressive goal of the Tesla team, they would be hesitant to speak ill of the company even if the car literally ate their children for food. The reward for Tesla Motors is the fast service received. Although it does not have a traditional infrastructure, the company beats its competitors with its operational speed. The Palo Alto automaker's response time to problems is often overnight and always beyond convention. A customer with some play in his gears had his entire transmission replaced. Interestingly, the Tesla Model S isn't the only car that has fallen off Consumer Reports' recommended list. Notable automobiles such as the entire 5 Series (including the X5) and GM's Corvette have also been downgraded, and their customer services aren't known for being the best. However, these stories don't get much coverage because it's not Musk's Mighty Mouse Engines that are on the guillotine with these ones. Speaking of which, Musk downplayed the problem by saying that the problem cars were first-generation models being phased out. Even TrueDelta (Consumer Reports rival) weighed in to say Tesla Motors' reliability has increased significantly.