2016 TESLA MODEL S Complaints

TESLA MODEL S 2016, VEHICLE IS MAKING A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE LEFT SIDE AND THAT THE WHEEL APPEARS TO BE TOO CLOSE TO THE WHEEL WELL. A NOISE STARTED 2-3 DAYS AGO WHEN THE WE TRY TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO TAKE A SHARP LEFT OR RIGHT TURN. THE FRONT SUSPENSION LINK ON THE DRIVER SIDE WHEEL BROKE WHILE PARKING THE CAR. GOT THE CAR TOWED TO TESLA SERVICE AND THEY FIXED IT 1 DAY LATER. CORRECTIONS: LINK - FRONT SUSPENSION - LOWER - FORE - LH REPLACED THE LEFT FORE LINK TO SPECIFICATION. VERIFIED PROPER OPERATION. PARTS REPLACED BY TESLA - FORE LINK ASSY, LH (1041570-00-B) 1WASHER, NORDLOCK, 15.2X30.7X3.4 (1033093-00-A) 1NUT HF M14X1.50 [10] ZNNI NL INSERT (1004358-00-C) 1BOLT H CAM M14X2.00X114 [10.9]-G720 (2007108) 1WASHER CAM M14X38X6X2.5 [10]-G720 (2007115) 1NUT CLN HEX M14X2.0 [10] ZNAL-W (1006484-00-A)1

ON2/20/18 I WAS DRIVING UP MY DRIVEWAY. UPON REACHING THE TOP OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BY ITSELF RESULTING IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR HITTING THE CONCRETE WALL IN FRONT. I INFORMED TESLA AND THEY CLAIM THAT THE COMPUTER SHOWED THAT I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR INSTEAD OF THE BREAK. MY ANSWER IS THAT I DID NOT PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR. IT JUST ACCELERATED BY ITSELF. ASIDE FROM ME, I HAVE 4 PASSENGERS THAT CAN ATTEST TO THIS. I HAVE LIVED IN THIS PLACE SINCE 1986 AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED. SINCE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING UP MY DRIVEWAY FOR 32 YEARS, IT IS SO ROUTINE FOR ME THAT IT IS ALREADY RITUAL FOR ME AT ALMOST THE SAME SPEED AND WHEN TO PRESSED ON THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO MY OTHER CARS AND AS MY CAR INSURANCE WILL SHOW I HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN CAR ACCIDENTS FOR MANY YEARS. I HAVE NOT BEEN SHOWN ANY EVIDENCE EXCEPT WHAT TESLA TOLD ME. IT IS THEIR WORDS VERSUS MINE AND MY 4 OTHER PASSENGERS WHO EXPERIENCED WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. CASE NUMBER [XXX] THANK YOU.*DT *JS *JS ('PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).')*JB

BELOW IS A COPY OF AN EMAIL I SENT TO TESLA ON APRIL 30,2018. I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION. ON JANUARY 23, 2018 I HAD AN INCIDENT WITH MY TESLA WHERE I HIT A SMALL POTHOLE (11' WIDE BY 18' LONG AND 2' DEEP) AT A MODERATE SPEED OF ABOUT 40MPH. (I HAVE PICTURES OF THE ROAD THE POTHOLE IN QUESTION.) I LOST SOME CONTROL OF MY CAR SWERVING INTO THE ONCOMING LANE FROM THE IMPACT, BUT MANAGED TO PULL OVER ABOUT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YARDS AFTER THAT WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. I THOUGHT I HAD BLOWN A TIRE SINCE I HAVE LOW PROFILE TIRES ON THE LARGER RIMS ONLY TO FIND THE TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED. HOWEVER THE WHEEL WAS OFF CAMBER AND I NOTICED THAT IT HAD DAMAGED SOME OF THE WHEEL WELL ON FURTHER INSPECTION.I EVENTUALLY GOT EVERYTHING FIXED (ABOUT FOUR WEEKS LATER) AND THE BILL WAS $4200.00 WHICH I PAID. HOWEVER, AFTER MUCH THOUGHT AND CONSIDERATION, I BELIEVE THE CONTROL ARM IS OF A FAULTY DESIGN AND THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY TESLA. IN FACT, I HAVE A PICTURE OF THE CONTROL ARM WHILE IT WAS ON THE CAR AND I AM IN POSSESSION OF IT AND ALL THE DAMAGED PARTS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MY TESLA SHOULD HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH DAMAGE FOR A RELATIVELY SMALL POTHOLE AND BELIEVE THE HEAVY LITHIUM BATTERY COUPLED WITH THE IMPROPERLY ENGINEERED CONTROL ARM CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I ALSO NOTE MINE IS NOT THE ONLY COMPLAINT OF THIS NATURE AS I HAVE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS IN ONLINE BLOGS AND FEEL THAT THIS MAY BE A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH TESLA'S CONTROL ARMS. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT I PURCHASED THE TESLA FOR MANY REASONS, BUT ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WAS ITS SAFETY RECORD AND RATINGS BY THE NHTSA WHO I HAVE COPIED ON THIS EMAIL. AFTER LOSING MOMENTARY CONTROL FROM HITTING SUCH A SMALL POTHOLE WHICH PUT ME INTO THE ONCOMING LANE, (I WAS LUCKY THERE WAS NOT ONCOMING TRAFFIC) I DO NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR THAT I ONCE DID.

THIS SUNDAY MAY 20 I WAS DRIVING MY TESLA MODEL S SOUTHBOUND ON ROUTE 1 IN REHOBOTH TO WORK IN AUTOPILOT MODE. I HAD THIS FEATURE OF MY VEHICLE SET TO 50 MPH. IF YOU AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH AUTOPILOT IN TESLA'S, LET ME EXPLAIN HOW IT WORKS. ONCE THE VEHICLE INDICATES THE FEATURE CAN BE ACTIVATED, YOU PRESS A BUTTON AS YOU WOULD ANY OTHER VEHICLE WITH BASIC CRUISE CONTROL, AND THE CAR WILL LITERALLY ACCELERATE, DECELERATE, AND STEER ITSELF WITHOUT FURTHER INPUT FROM THE DRIVER. WHILE USING THIS FEATURE OF MY VEHICLE, I HAD A SIGNIFICANT ACCIDENT ON ROUTE 1. AS I SAID, MY VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT A RATE OF 50 MPH. I WAS DRIVING IN THE LEFT LANE SOUTHBOUND WITH AUTOPILOT ACTIVATED. IN TURNABOUT IN THE MEDIAN, A WHITE PICKUP WAS PERPENDICULAR TO MY CAR WITH STICKING OUT ABOUT 1 FT INTO MY LANE. THE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR SKIMMED THE BACK OF HIS CAR WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN. AUTOPILOT FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE CAR WAS THERE. I AM LUCKY I WASN'T KILLED, AND I AM LUCKY NO ONE ELSE WAS HURT. THIS ACCIDENT HAS SHAKEN ME UP QUITE A BIT. NOW, I DO NOT BLAME TESLA 100% FOR THIS AUTO ACCIDENT; I DON'T PLAN TO FILE A LEGAL CLAIM AGAINST THEM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IN FACT, I PLAN ON REPLACING MY VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER TESLA (WITHOUT THE SAID AUTOPILOT FEATURES) BUT I WOULD BE DOING A DISSERVICE TO ANYONE WITHOUT TRYING TO USE THIS EXPERIENCE OF MINE TO HOPEFULLY SAVE LIVES IN THE FUTURE. I BROUGHT THESE EXACT ISSUES UP WITH TESLA REGARDING MY ACCIDENT SEVERAL TIMES TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND MY CONCERNS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY DISMISSED. IF REGULATION FOR FEATURES LIKE THESE IN VEHICLES IS NOT IMPLEMENTED, UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NO DOUBT IN MY MIND PEOPLE WILL BE HURT AND POSSIBLY KILLED,

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN AUTOPILOT MODE GOING 50MPH SOUTHBOUND IN THE LEFT LANE ON A DIVIDED 2 LANE HIGHWAY, ROUTE 1 IN DELAWARE. IT WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY, NO FOG. ALL THESE CONDITIONS ARE PREFERRED WHEN USING AUTOPILOT ON MY VEHICLE. A WHITE FORD F150 PERPENDICULAR TO MY CAR WAS BETWEEN THE MEDIAN IN A TURNABOUT TO GO NORTHBOUND WITH ITS TRUCKBED ABOUT 1 FOOT INTO MY LANE. AUTOPILOT DID NOT ALERT ME TO THIS CAR, NOR DID IT SLOW DOWN OR VEER IN ORDER TO AVOID IT (TWO FEATURES ENABLED ON MY VEHICLE AND ADVERTISED BY TESLA). I WAS UNABLE TO GRAB THE WHEEL IN TIME TO AVOID THE ACCIDENT. I FEEL THAT THE AUTOPILOT'S FEATURE OF WORKING WITHOUT THE HANDS ON THE WHEEL LULLED ME INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND I MOST CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS TYPE OF ACCIDENT HAD I NOT HAD AUTOPILOT ON MY VEHICLE. I AM SO THANKFUL I WASN'T KILLED OR INJURED, I FEEL THAT THE WAY AUTOPILOT IS HANDLED IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD REQUIRE HANDS TO BE ON THE WHEEL AT ALL TIMES. I AM HOPEFUL SOMETHING WILL BE DONE TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE. THIS SYSTEM IS BEING DOWNLOADED TO CARS WITH LITTLE TO NO REGULATION. I CONTACTED TESLA WITH MY CONCERNS WITH THE HOPE THEIR ENGINEERS COULD USE THE DATA FROM MY CAR FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, HOWEVER TESLA WAS IMMEDIATELY DEFENSIVE ABOUT MY SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT.

REPORTEDLY AT LEAST ONE ONE DEAD AFTER A TESLA MODEL S FOUND CRASHED IN A POND, IN CASTRO VALLEY CALIFORNIA, ALAMEDA COUNTY, 11567 CANYON ROAD. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL, ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF, ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE AND PARAMEDICS RESPONDED TO THE SCENE OF THE CRASH. ONE MAN HAS BEEN CONFIRMED DEAD. IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE CRASH HAPPENED ON SUNDAY NIGHT. I SUSPECT EXCESSIVE SPEED, OVERCONFIDENCE, ARROGANCE AND POSSIBLE INTOXICATION MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS CRASH AND DEATH. I SUSPECT THE TESLA CULTURE OF OVERHYPING SAFETY MAY CONTRIBUTE TO CRASHES LIKE THESE. I SUGGEST THAT DATA FROM THIS AND OTHER EVENTS BE CHECKED AND INVESTIGATED. I SUGGEST THAT A UNIVERSAL STANDARD SHOULD BE MADE SO THAT GOVERNMENTAL INVESTIGATORS CAN CHECK WITHOUT THE RISK OF BIAS AND MANIPULATION BYTESLA AND OTHER MANUFACTURERS. I FEEL THAT TESLA AND THEIR CULT FOLLOWING FALSELY OVERSTATES THE SAFETY OF TESLA; THUS LEADING TO TESLA DRIVERS DRIVING RECKLESS, AGGRESSIVE AND ARROGANTLY. THE DRIVER IS OFTEN AT FAULT FOR THESE TYPES OF ACCIDENTS, HOWEVER THEY ARE OFTEN USED AS SCAPEGOATS. AS OFTEN THERE IS MORE FAULT THAN JUST THE DRIVER. THERE ARE OFTEN OTHER CONTRIBUTING AND/OR CAUSAL FACTORS. SUCH AS TESLA'S TENANCY TO SCAPEGOAT DRIVERS; RATHER THAN FIX UNDERLYING FAULTS/CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FROM TESLA DESIGN, NEGLECT, HYPE AND DENIAL. THE SWISS CHEESE MODEL OF SAFETY AND INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE FOLLOWED; RATHER THAN TESLA'S SCAPEGOAT METHODOLOGY. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH TESLA MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS CRASH LIKE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, SUSPENSION AND STEERING PROBLEMS.

AUTOPILOT SUDDENLY SWERVED VEHICLE OUT OF THE LANE TO THE LEFT TOWARD A BRIDGE ABUTMENT. I HAD TO YANK CONTROL AWAY FROM AUTOPILOT TO RECENTER VEHICLE IN THE LANE. I PROVIDED A DETAILED WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF THE INCIDENT ALONG WITH THE TIME OF THE RECORDED "BUG REPORT" TO TESLA'S SERVICE CENTER. TESLA WROTE THE PROBLEM IN THE REPAIR ORDER AS "CUSTOMER CONCERN - AUTO PILOT IS INCONSISTENT" RATHER THAN THE MORE ACCURATE AND MORE SERIOUS DESCRIPTION I PROVIDED IN WRITING TO THEM. TESLA'S FINAL PAPERWORK SAID SYSTEM IS "OPERATING AS DESIGNED." A LANE KEEPING SYSTEM SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO KEEP A VEHICLE WITHIN A LANE, A LANE KEEPING SYSTEM SHOULDN'T SUDDENLY STEER THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE LANE. THE WAY AUTOPILOT SUDDENLY SWERVES OUT OF THE LANE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED NORMAL. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURED MULTIPLE TIMES.

HERE IS A TESLA THAT IS IN A JUNKYARD IN UK. HTTPS://WWW.COPART.CO.UK/LOT/23480858 THE FRONT RH SUSPENSION IS SMASHED INTO PIECES. THE DAMAGE LOOKS MUCH MORE CONSISTENT WITH A MECHANICAL FAILURE THAN WITH BEING THE RESULT OF A COLLISION. THE LOWER SUSPENSION BALL JOINT STEMS HAVE SNAPPED. THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED ON MANY OTHER TESLAS. THE CAST ALUMINIUM STEERING KNUCKLE HAS FRACTURED WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF A CASTING FLAW. THE WHEEL HAS BEEN SLICED APART ALMOST CERTAINLY DUE TO CONTACT WITH A BROKEN SUSPENSION PART WHILST THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THESE CARS ARE ARRIVING IN THE WRECKING YARDS IN HUGE NUMBERS CONSIDERING HOW RELATIVELY FEW TESLAS HAVE BEEN SOLD. IT IS VERY STRANGE THAT SO FEW OWNERS MAKE THEIR OWN REPORTS TO THE SAFETY AUTHORITIES. THIS IS PROBABLY BECAUSE SO MANY OWNERS ARE ALSO TESLA SHAREHOLDERS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU. GENUINELY CONCERNED CITIZEN.

TESLA IN THE JUNKYARD: HTTPS://WWW.COPART.COM/LOT/25226748/PHOTOS NO CRASH, NO IMPACT DAMAGE, NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. JUST THE USUAL WHEEL FALLEN OFF. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU. PERSISTENT CITIZEN

HERE IS YET ANOTHER TESLA JUST ARRIVED IN THE JUNKYARD: HTTPS://WWW.COPART.COM/LOT/21757678/PHOTOS NO AIR-BAGS HAVE GONE OFF. THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS SNAPPED OFF. PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW THAT THE SUSPENSION LINKS HAVE SNAPPED. THIS APPEARS TO BE YET ANOTHER CASE OF SELF INFLICTED INJURY. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU. PERTURBED CITIZEN.