In light of escalating worries over manufacturing and engineering challenges at Tesla, US Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts are pressing Elon Musk to instigate a recall of components experiencing recurrent failures. This call comes in the wake of an investigation revealing that Tesla was cognizant that these issues did not stem from customer error but were instead rooted in inherent manufacturing problems.
The senators, in response to the investigation’s findings, have directly corresponded with Elon Musk, expressing their dissatisfaction with Tesla’s handling of the situation. The letters underscore the company’s awareness of manufacturing and engineering problems, contrasting with the practice of blaming customers and citing user error. The senators find it unacceptable that Tesla would deflect responsibility for substandard vehicle quality onto its customers and present the same argument to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A Tesla customer highlighted in the report shared an incident where the suspension on his new Model Y, with a mere 115 miles on the odometer, failed while negotiating a turn. Despite the low mileage and the perceived manufacturing issue, Tesla purportedly declined to cover the $14,000 repair bill.
The letters from Blumenthal and Markey state, “We are disturbed that you would blame your customers for these failures. It is unacceptable that Tesla would not only attempt to shift the responsibility for the substandard quality of its vehicles to the people purchasing them but also make that same flawed argument to” the NHTSA.
Tesla, commanding a significant market share with over half of all electric vehicles sold in the US, chose not to comment during the investigation and has not responded to requests for comment from Quartz.
This development follows closely on the heels of Tesla’s issuance of the largest US vehicle recall of the year, impacting nearly every car it has introduced on American roads. The recall was prompted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which concluded that Tesla’s autopilot was excessively lenient toward drivers who disengaged from the wheel and diverted their attention from the road.
Senators Blumenthal and Markey had previously voiced dissatisfaction with Tesla’s handling of autopilot issues, underscoring the imperative for accountability and expressing concerns about the company’s repetitive exaggerations regarding its vehicles’ capabilities. The senators had conveyed these concerns to the Federal Trade Commission, asserting that Tesla’s actions manifested a “deeply concerning disregard for the safety of those on the road.”
