HMM: Some Tesla Suppliers Fret About Getting Paid. “Auto maker’s tumultuous year has concerned some of its suppliers, which are pushed to extend payment terms or asked to give cash back.”

A recent survey sent privately by a well-regarded automotive supplier association to top executives found that 18 of 22 respondents believe that Tesla is now a financial risk to their companies, according to the document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Separately, several suppliers in interviews said Tesla has tried to stretch out payments or asked for significant cash back. And in some cases, public records show, small suppliers over the past several months have claimed they failed to get paid for services supplied to Tesla.

Tesla has improved its on-time payments to production-related suppliers to about 95% from 90% last year, according to people familiar with the matter. For nonproduction suppliers, Tesla is paying on time about 80% of the time, the people said.

“We’re not behind because we can’t pay them,” Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said in an interview Friday. “It is just because we’re arguing whether the parts are right.”

This looks less like a genuine cashflow issue and more like Tesla’s suppliers pushing back on those rebates Tesla reportedly demanded last month, but we’ll see.