15 NHTSA Complaints Against Tesla Model S Surface Amid Autopilot Controversy

Amid the ongoing controversy Tesla Motors is facing over its cars’ Autopilot feature, Elon Musk’s carmaker could be facing another problem soon after it was found out that a total of 15 complaints against the company’s Model S sedans have been submitted to the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

According to Electrek, most of the new complaints against Tesla follow a similar pattern — one that is typical of Australian national Keef Wivaneff’s earlier complaints against Palo Alto carmaker.

Apparently, this past June, Wivaneff, who is also known as Keef Leech, filed a number of complaints to the NHTSA claiming that the Model S cars have suspension problems. The complaints were picked up by numerous media outlets that the NHTSA quickly took action to do a probe on Tesla’s Model S sedan's suspension only to find out that nothing’s wrong with the company's vehicle.

Following the revelation on the nature of the complaints filed by the Australian blogger, who was found to “bust green scams” and attack environmental aspects of big companies, Musk took to Twitter to at the time expose the truth and clear the reputation of its Model S sedans.

Now, it seems that someone is showing Tesla in a bad light by filing complaints using Model S vehicles that got into accidents or salvaged cars without any vehicle identification number. And just like Leech’s complaints, this new batch also comes with opinionated statements and commentary on an alleged defect of the car instead of specific details pertaining to the conditions of the car following the accident.

Electrek pointed out that the complaints are currently accessible via NHTSA’s safecar.gov, the site that potential car buyers look into when reviewing the safety performance of a vehicle. The presence of the multiple complaints on the site could easily mislead or deter potential buyers.

The news about the complaints against Tesla comes days after the Palo Alto company unveiled its new Model S sedan and Model X crossover that reportedly come with faster acceleration and longer battery range, as per CNBC.

The new Model S, called the Model S P100D, instantly made headlines after Tesla introduced it is a quick accelerating car that is comparable to the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder. On the other hand, the new Model X, called the Model X P100D, was described as a performance car that can go from 0 to 60 in just 2.9 seconds.

"I think this is going to send a great message to the public that sustainable transport is the future," Musk said at the time of the two new Tesla cars' launch.