Tesla Model S suspension failures under scrutiny by safety agency
Tesla Motors, the electric-car maker, said Friday that the suspension system in its Model S luxury car has no safety defects that could have caused a string of breakdowns that have caught the eye of the nation’s top auto-safety regulator.
In a blog post, Tesla also acknowledged that it has asked customers to sign confidentiality agreements when it has agreed to fix faulty suspensions.
[...] the company said the practice was intended to prevent legal disputes and not aimed at stopping owners from filing complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The agency called the practice “troublesome” and warned the company about agreements implying that customers should refrain from relaying safety concerns to regulators.
The safety regulator is examining the Model S suspension — the springs, joints and other components that connect a car to its wheels — for possible defects that could be causing premature failures.
Tesla has just started offering a sport utility vehicle, the Model X, and is planning to offer a compact car, the Model 3, next year.
The company hopes the Model 3 will become its top seller and says it has already received $1,000 deposits from about 375,000 potential buyers.
The agreement posted on the blog released Tesla from any liability and barred the car owners from filing legal proceedings against the company.
The agreements do not mention the national safety agency, and do not try to stop customers from contacting the government, Tesla said.