Saturday, September 26, 2026
Don't fix it if it ain't broke

They Fixed It / Tesla

2021

Tesla

Tesla yoke steering

Before
Tesla Model S and Model X with a round steering wheel.
The fix
Made a rectangular, open-topped 'yoke' the standard steering wheel.
Then
In 2023 Tesla started selling a $700 round-wheel retrofit for yoke owners. It reportedly sold out in about a week.
Half took it back

A round wheel became available again in 2023, as an option and a retrofit.

Your call

Source: electrek.co

More fixes nobody asked for

2016

Apple

MacBook Pro 2016

Before
MacBook Pro with MagSafe, HDMI, an SD card slot and ordinary keys.
The fix
Went all USB-C, added the thin butterfly keyboard, and replaced the function keys with a Touch Bar.
Then
Butterfly keys could be knocked out by a speck of dust. Apple paid $50 million to settle a class action in 2022. The 2021 MacBook Pro brought back MagSafe, HDMI, the SD slot and function keys.
Took it back

The 2021 models undid nearly all of it.

Your call

1998

Corning, then World Kitchen

Pyrex glass

Before
Pyrex bakeware made of borosilicate, the glass used for lab beakers.
The fix
Corning sold its housewares arm in 1998. From then on, US Pyrex was all tempered soda-lime glass, phased in since the 1950s.
Then
Borosilicate takes about three times the thermal shock. Consumer Reports confirmed the gap in 2011, in tests it admitted went against the instructions. Pyrex sold in Europe stayed borosilicate.

Kept it.

Still soda-lime in the US.

Your call

2023

Deere & Company

John Deere repair lock

Before
Tractors that owners and independent shops could repair themselves.
The fix
Made many repairs need Service ADVISOR, software only dealers get in full. A 2023 pledge with the Farm Bureau promised more access.
Then
In return, the Farm Bureau agreed not to push repair laws. The FTC sued anyway in January 2025, joined by five states. Deere paid $99 million to settle a farmers' class action, then in July 2026 agreed to give owners the dealers' repair tools.
Half took it back

Dealer-grade repair tools for owners, under FTC watch for 10 years.

Your call