Elon Musk Draws Ire From Democratic Senators Amid Allegations Of Tesla Concealing Faulty Steering And Suspension Parts

Two U.S. senators have written to Tesla Inc TSLA to recall steering and suspension parts that may be faulty.

What Happened: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) have written a letter to Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, expressing concerns about the company’s alleged awareness of safety defects in its vehicles and its failure to disclose this to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Reuters reported.

The letter from the senators refers to a recent Reuters report that found Tesla frequently blaming drivers for parts failures they knew to be faulty. The senators have asked Musk to correct the “apparent false and misleading representations” made to the NHTSA.

Tesla told the NHTSA that defective parts failures were due to driver “abuse.” Despite a recall in China in 2020, this explanation was provided to justify not recalling a suspension part, the aft link, in the US.

See Also: Drone Footage Captures Accelerated Production Of Electric Vans At Rivian Factory

After the investigation was published, Tesla defended its position on Musk’s social media platform, X, calling the article’s headline “wildly misleading” and stating that the story had “incomplete and demonstrably incorrect information.”

Regulatory bodies in countries like Sweden and Norway are also investigating Tesla’s safety issues, specifically suspension failures.

Why It Matters: Earlier this month, Tesla recalled over 2 million vehicles to address issues with its Autopilot system. A two-year investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found Tesla's driver monitoring system to be flawed and in need of correction.

Just a few days later, the EV giant also recalled more than 120,000 of its Model S and X vehicles due to a potential issue where doors may remain unlocked in the event of a crash. In an NHTSA filing, the company said that the model year 2022-2023 Model S and X vehicles failed to comply with safety standards.

Read Next: ‘Good Design,’ Says Elon Musk After Tesla Fan Shares Wishlist For ‘Futuristic’ $25K Compact EV

Image Courtesy: Shutterstock


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