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In early March, Josh MacGowan’s Tesla Cybertruck was parked outside his Saskatoon condo, when a man walked up to the vehicle, pulled out a knife and scratched the side.
MacGowan said he didn’t notice the damage until he went down to his vehicle later that night.
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“It was dark out but I thought the side of my truck looked weird,” MacGowan said.
“The Cybertruck has something called sentry mode where it records when people are close to the truck … I was looking at the footage and, sure enough, I saw somebody pull out a knife and scratch up the side of the truck.”
(Video supplied by Josh MacGowan)
MacGowan said it might cost thousands of dollars to get the vehicle repaired.
“It’s not just a simple paint touch-up, because the scratches are actually in the steel,” he said.
“So they’re going to have to likely buff out the entire side of the truck, and I think it’s going to be thousands in damages.”
MacGowan said he believes the vandalism is the result of anger towards Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, now also an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, boiling over.
“I feel like the anger on Tesla owners is misplaced,” he said. “Most people that are driving a Tesla have had their cars for far longer than Elon’s been in politics.”
MacGowan said if people are angry at Musk, the anger shouldn’t be taken out on people who own a Tesla.
“They’re really not hurting their target — Elon Musk,” he said. “They’re just hurting everyday people that bought a car.”
MacGowan said he’s heard a few other concerns in Saskatoon involving Tesla owners.
“A few women that drive Teslas mentioned that they’re actually scared driving around because they feel like something might happen to them,” he said.
MacGowan said he purchased his Cybertruck well before Musk got into politics.
“When I first saw the Cybertrucks get released back in 2019, I ordered as soon as I could,” he said.
His picked up his Cybertruck in November 2024.
MacGowan said that he understands why people are angry, adding that if his Cybertruck order was made available in the New Year he would’ve rejected it.
“If my order came available right now I wouldn’t take the car,” MacGowan said. “It’s just become too messed up in politics, but I took delivery before things got like this.”
MacGowan also owns a second Tesla he purchased three years ago.
“I didn’t buy that car as any sort of political statement back when electric cars were seen more as a left-leaning type,” he said. “It wasn’t a statement then, and it’s certainly not a statement now, I just like the cars.”
In a statement to 650CKOM, Saskatoon Police said they haven’t noticed a trend in Teslas being vandalized in the city.
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