Tesla Safety Issues Worsen: ‘Aladdin’ Star Blames Elon Musk Company For Accident

Elon Musk’s Tesla safety woes are not yet over and this time the electric vehicle company is contending with a high profile personality, the lead star of the live action movie “Aladdin.”

According to Business Insider, actor Mena Massoud just bought a Tesla Model 3 the day before when he claimed that his car’s suspension caused one of his front wheels to pop out. He lost control of his vehicle while changing lanes along Hollywood Boulevard and crashed into a tree.

The actor is now suing Tesla after his insurer discovered the issue can be traced back to Tesla. Per the complaint, the actor is accusing the EV manufacturer of negligence and breach of warranty. In an interview with Business Insider, however, a Tesla spokesperson claimed that the car’s wheel was torn off because of the crash and not the other way around.

But the report pointed out that Massoud’s accident was not an isolated case and that suspension problems have been plaguing Musk’s company for years. In fact, some reports found on the internet have labeled the incident as “whompy wheel.”

Per the report, the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration's site has been getting anonymous complaints about broken suspensions. Tesla has also issued a number of technical service bulletins (TSB) through the years which pretty much warned mechanics about possible suspension issues with the Model S and X. Despite this, there has never been a recall of the vehicles.

"Some Model S and X vehicles may have been manufactured with front suspension fore links that may not meet Tesla strength specifications. In the event of a link failure, the driver can still maintain control but the tire may contact the wheel arch liner," one TSB noted back in 2017 regarding the Model S and the Model X 2016 variants.

Tesla downplayed that issuing the bulletin is not a cause for concern. "They do not indicate that a recall is needed, and they do not indicate that there is any safety concern," a Tesla representative said.

Aside from suspension problems, Tesla’s autopilot has also been plagued with a number of accidents including the fatal incident which took the life of Apple employee Walter Huang. Wang’s Model X crashed while on autopilot along Highway 101 in Mountain View, California.