Electric car-maker Tesla Motors has denied allegations there are safety problems with its vehicle suspensions.
The company said one of its cars had an abnormal amount of rust on a suspension part, a problem it hasn’t seen in any other car.
Last week, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it asked for information from owners and Tesla about Model S suspension failures. The agency has not opened a formal investigation and said the inquiry was a “routine data collection”.
Tesla the Model S with the rust had more than 70,000 miles (112,650km) on it and was caked in dirt when picked up for service. The company said it has given the agency all relevant information.
NHTSA originally said that it was concerned that Tesla hd asked owners to sign non-disclosure agreements about safety issues. The agency said it was concerned the agreements could prevent owners from reporting problems to the government. But late last week it said that Tesla had clarified the agreement language in a “satisfactory way”. Tesla said it asked customers to sign a “Goodwill Agreement” when it agrees to fix a problem that wasn’t the fault of the car. Those agreements make sure repairing the car is not used against the company in court, Tesla said.
“This agreement never comes close to mentioning NHTSA or the government and has nothing to do with trying to stop someone from communicating with NHTSA,” Tesla’s statement said.
-AP