“Most Frustrating Car I’ve Owned”: YouTuber and Lucid Air Owner Details Major Issues

The Lucid Air sedan has long been praised for its record-setting range and advanced engineering, but a new deep-dive from a well-known EV YouTuber paints a far more complicated ownership picture. Jason Fenske of YouTube’s Engineering Explained detailed a cascade of hardware failures and persistent software bugs on his six-month-old 2025 Lucid Air Touring, issues he says turned one of the most expensive cars he’s ever purchased into the most frustrating.

Hardware issues undermine Lucid’s high-end reputation

Fenske said his problems began almost immediately, with mechanical faults surfacing in less than 5,000 kilometers of driving. The Air’s front trunk repeatedly failed to open on the first attempt, requiring a service visit that revealed a misaligned latch. Cooling pumps also fell short of their target speed and had to be replaced under warranty, while a broken fan-control button forced a full keypad replacement.

Other quirks added to the mounting frustration. The charging door required excessive force to open, the cupholders needed nearly four kilograms of resistance to retrieve a can, and the phone-as-a-key system proved unreliable enough that he resorted to carrying a key card. Even the climate system misbehaved, Fenske said his dog’s seat heater repeatedly activated on its own during long drives, according to CarUp.

Software instability compounds owner frustration

While the hardware issues were inconvenient, Fenske said the software problems represented the Air’s most serious shortcomings. For three months, the car insisted its software update had failed, even while displaying that it was “up to date.” This glitch was eventually resolved through a workshop visit.

Intermittent audio failures left the car with no sound at all, including turn signals and warnings. CarPlay switched profiles unpredictably and occasionally pulled his phone’s connection from inside his home. The Lucid app reportedly drained 35% of his phone battery daily, and the center screen sometimes froze entirely.

These recurring bugs, he said, are particularly disappointing given the Air’s price point and Lucid’s reputation for industry-leading engineering. Fenske emphasized that he still admires the Air’s efficiency, design, and performance, but hopes Lucid can deliver meaningful software improvements soon. “This is the most expensive vehicle I’ve ever bought,” he said, “and by far the most frustrating.”

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