Safety Boast Sparked Back-and-forth With Feds, Subpoenas, Docs Reveal

by Steph Willems

Published: August 8th, 2019

safety boast sparked back and forth with feds subpoenas docs reveal

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took exception to Tesla’s suggestion that a person is less likely to suffer injury in its vehicles than those built any other manufacturer, documents reveal. Advocacy group PlainSite obtained the docs via a FOI request, shedding light on both the NHTSA’s concern re: Tesla’s safety claims, as well as subpoenas issued in the pursuit of information following several Tesla crashes.

Last October, the NHTSA fired off a crease and desist letter to Tesla after the automaker claimed the agency’s crash data showed its Model 3 surpassed the five-star ranking issued for the model. This was a misleading statement and improper use of data, the NHTSA said. Since that time, crashes involving Tesla vehicles have earned the company additional scrutiny from the road safety regulator.

Following the initial dustup, the NHTSA tipped off the Federal Trade Commission to see if Tesla truly misled potential buyers with its boast, thus breaking the law.

The safety agency also sought information pertaining to crashes on at least five occasions, including after a fatal March collision in Florida. In a statement to Bloomberg following the document dump, the NHTSA said it “is committed to rigorous and appropriate safety oversight of the industry and encourages any potential safety issue be reported to NHTSA.”

The agency doesn’t normally use subpoenas to retrieve information following crashes. A former NHTSA official told the publication the subpoenas could indicate a formal investigation is in the works, as the documents show the agency honing in on a certain component of the automaker’s Autopilot driver-assist system.

“I think what this shows is that NHTSA has concerns about Autopilot performance,” said Frank Borris, former director of the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation.

Unswayed by the document reveal and ongoing federal attention, a Tesla spokesperson told Reuters Wednesday that the company stands by its earlier claims. The boasts were not that the Model 3 is the safest car, Tesla says; rather, the model was engineered to be the safest car ever built. The company claims the NHTSA crash data remains valid.

[Image: Tesla]

#Government #Investigations #LawAndOrder #Model3 #NHTSA #Tesla #TeslaModel3

Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments

Join the conversation

6 of 21 comments

Cprescott on Aug 08, 2019

Based on what I've seen and read, Tesla owners need the car to drive itself because they aren't smart enough to actually drive a car. I can't believe these fools who think they are driving something and saving money when they never factor in the increased insurance rates and repair costs over ICE products nor do they even factor in maintenance on their car which has problems that aren't even in ICE cars. But then again, logic and Tesla never go together. I get it - you want to feel superior, Tesla owners. And I am glad you are paying through the nose for this. And now you all will bear the entire burden of your choice because your tax credits from the Feds is running out and you aren't shifting your costs onto your neighbors!

Like Reply
- See 3 previous
- Art Vandelay on Aug 08, 2019
  
  I saw a Third Gen Camaro with a not over the top LS swap roast a Tesla at the strip because the dude, even with all of the nannies couldn't launch the Tesla and/or drive it A to B. With my Fiesta I have found my biggest performance gains came via spending money on track time and tightening up the loose but behind the wheel. Horsepower wins brags, torque wins drags, but no matter how much of either you have you aren't winning jack if you can't peddle it out of the hole and you end up looking at the taillights of a brown 80s Camaro with a red fender through your six figure windshield. Seen it happen to exotics too and a Hellcat...not just Tesla's.
  
  Like
- Ajla on Aug 08, 2019
  
  @Art Vandelay Yea, I beat a lot of cars with my Charger and Grand Prix that I no business beating and I lost to a lot of cars in my Firebird that I had no business losing to.
  
  Like
- ToddAtlasF1 on Aug 08, 2019
  
  @Art Vandelay "I have found my biggest performance gains came via spending money on track time and tightening up the loose but behind the wheel." Freudian typo?
  
  Like
- Mcs on Aug 08, 2019
  
  @cprsott: "Based on what I’ve seen and read, Tesla owners need the car to drive itself because they aren’t smart enough to actually drive a car." First of all, people buy the cars because they like them. Not everyone buys one to save money. Almost every review says that they're great cars. Alex Roy just bought one and he seems to know how to drive. Jay Leno has one. Henry Payne of the Detroit News bought one too. Again, it's nothing about feeling superior over others for most drivers. In fact, name any genre of car or brand and there's probably a segment of owners that feel superior to others. With EVs, most people like the smoothness and the torque and they aren't deliberately buying them to make you feel inferior. That's all in your own mind. As far as the tax incentives go, it's not a problem for me. As a small Permian Basin energy producer, I can still use my oil subsidies to buy my next car. https://www.thedrive.com/opinion/27490/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-buy-a-tesla
  
  Like
SCE to AUX on Aug 09, 2019

This article conflate crash safety claims, actual crash safety, and Autopilot. I don't know what is really being said. Crash test data does show that Teslas are exceptionally safe if you have an accident. Autopilot is an entirely different story. I'd want no parts of it.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

TheEndlessEnigma Of course they should unionize. US based automotive production component production and auto assembly plants with unionized memberships produce the highest quality products in the automotive sector. Just look at the high quality products produced by GM, Ford and Chrysler!
Redapple2 Got cha. No big.
Theflyersfan The wheel and tire combo is tragic and the "M Stripe" has to go, but overall, this one is a keeper. Provided the mileage isn't 300,000 and the service records don't read like a horror novel, this could be one of the last (almost) unmodified E34s out there that isn't rotting in a barn. I can see this ad being taken down quickly due to someone taking the chance. Recently had some good finds here. Which means Monday, we'll see a 1999 Honda Civic with falling off body mods from Pep Boys, a rusted fart can, Honda Rot with bad paint, 400,000 miles, and a biohazard interior, all for the unrealistic price of $10,000.
Theflyersfan Expect a press report about an expansion of VW's Mexican plant any day now. I'm all for worker's rights to get the best (and fair) wages and benefits possible, but didn't VW, and for that matter many of the Asian and European carmaker plants in the south, already have as good of, if not better wages already? This can drive a wedge in those plants and this might be a case of be careful what you wish for.
Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?