Lucid has spent years pitching itself as the thinking driver’s EV brand, but a wave of blunt YouTube criticism has exposed how fragile that image can be when software and service fall short. A popular creator did not just vent about glitches in a Lucid Air, he triggered a rare, highly public response from the automaker that turned a routine review into a test of how a young car company handles accountability.
Instead of brushing off the complaints, Lucid engaged directly with the reviewer and the wider audience, turning a viral frustration into a live case study in modern customer relations and product development.
A Critical Eye Meets a Willing Ear
The flashpoint came when Jason Fenske, the engineer behind the Engineering Explained channel, laid out why living with a Lucid Air Touring had been more aggravating than aspirational. In a video framed around how Living with the Lucid Air Touring had been “a buggy mess,” he cataloged everyday failures that undercut a six-figure EV, from unreliable wireless Apple CarPlay USB connections to basic interface lag. That critique landed with particular force because it came from a channel built on methodical, data-driven testing rather than hot takes, and because Engineering Explained reaches an audience of roughly 4.1 m subscribers who follow Jason Fenske for his detailed breakdowns of vehicles and technology.
When Jason Fenske published his blunt review, Lucid did not simply issue a boilerplate statement. The company invited him to its headquarters, walked through his list of complaints, and even put him in front of engineers who could explain what had gone wrong and what might change. Coverage of the meeting described how, When Jason Fenske raised issues like inconsistent driver assistance behavior and the lack of Tesla Supercharger Plug & Charge support, Lucid staff acknowledged the gaps and outlined work underway to close them. That willingness to listen, and to do it on camera, turned a one-sided rant into a two-way conversation that other EV makers will be studying closely.
From Viral Frustration to Corporate Pledge
The story did not stop at a factory tour. In a follow-up video titled “Lucid Responded To My Video ‘Owning A Lucid Has Been Disappointing,’” Jason Fenske detailed how the company addressed his earlier complaints and how new problems, like a trunk button that suddenly stopped working, kept surfacing even as Lucid tried to fix others. In that clip he reminded viewers that he had leased a 2025 Lucid Air Touring, underscoring that this was not a short press loan but a real ownership experience, and he framed Lucid’s outreach as a necessary step “if they want people to buy these cars,” a point he reinforced while discussing how Lucid Responded To. The company’s decision to engage on those terms signaled that it understood the stakes of a viral owner review in an era when YouTube can shape brand perception as much as traditional advertising.
Lucid’s broader response went beyond one creator. Reporting on the fallout from the viral criticism noted that the automaker promised a major software overhaul by fall 2026 and committed to Switch to US-Made Panasonic Batteries by Mid 2026 to Avoid Tariffs, moves that tie customer experience directly to hardware and policy decisions. The company said it would roll out a reworked interface, faster responses to touch inputs, and more robust over-the-air update discipline, all framed as lessons drawn from the viral feedback that had spread across both YouTube and X. In effect, Lucid treated the criticism as a free, if painful, focus group and tried to show that it could iterate quickly enough to keep early adopters on board.
A Pattern of Software Strain Around a Strong Product
The clash between glowing performance reviews and harsh software critiques has become a defining tension for Lucid. On one side, high-profile reviewers like MKBHD have praised the Lucid Air Sapphire as “the best performance sedan ever made,” while still noting that Lucid’s software is “respectable” rather than class leading and highlighting the option to use Apple CarPlay as a partial workaround. Owners on enthusiast forums have echoed that split verdict, with one Lucid Air Dream driver describing how long-term software quirks, from delayed door unlocking to slow wake-up times, can still delay getting into even as they rave about the chassis and powertrain. The result is a brand that looks like a hardware leader but a software work in progress.
Other content creators have piled on with their own examples of friction. A short clip on what reviewers hated about the 2026 Lucid Gravity highlighted how a simple action like approaching the SUV could trigger odd behavior, such as the system deciding to turn the windshield wipers on as the driver tried to get in, a quirk captured in a Nov video that also mentioned a misbehaving driver’s seat. A separate ownership review of the 2025 Lucid Air Touring described how the software frustrations had built over six months, with the creator explaining that the scathing verdict had gone viral across both YouTube and X and detailing how the Lucid Air Touring experience was undermined by bugs that should have been caught earlier. Together, these accounts paint a picture of a company whose ambition sometimes outpaces its quality control.
Reputation, Culture, and the Stakes of Listening
Lucid’s willingness to sit down with Jason Fenske and respond in detail has been widely interpreted as a sign that the company knows it cannot afford to alienate early adopters. Coverage of the saga framed it as a moment when a Popular creator Got Critical With Lucid, And Things Didn End With Shrug, but instead pushed the automaker to open its doors and show its work. Another analysis described the follow-up as “The Plot Thickens,” noting how Lucid invited Jason Fenske, the face of Engineering Explained, to see engineers “hard at work on that,” a phrase used to capture how the company tried to demonstrate progress in real time while acknowledging past missteps in front of an audience of 4.1 m subscribers, as detailed in The Plot Thickens. In a market where trust is built as much on transparency as on torque figures, that kind of engagement can be as important as a new feature.
Yet the company’s internal culture is also under scrutiny. Separate reporting has surfaced allegations from a former executive, with a story detailing how a Chief Engineer Says a Nazi Slur At Lucid, Then Got Fired, identifying the accuser as Former Lucid engineering boss Eric Bach. While those claims are contested and the full legal picture remains Unverified based on available sources, they add a layer of complexity to Lucid’s public posture of openness and responsiveness. Against that backdrop, the company’s choice to respond quickly when a critical YouTube review went viral, including through a dedicated video titled Lucid Responded To, looks less like a one-off gesture and more like a strategic attempt to show that it listens, learns, and adapts when its most engaged customers speak up.
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