Tesla's Blame Game: Drivers Held Responsible for Defective Parts Despite Tesla's Knowledge
A Reuters investigation reveals that Tesla has been aware of chronic parts failures in its vehicles but has been blaming its customers for the issues instead. The company has been diverting responsibility onto drivers, citing vehicle "abuse" as the cause of failures, even though it knew the parts were inherently flawed. The investigation includes interviews with service technicians, repair documents, and internal communications that expose Tesla's practice of charging customers for out-of-warranty parts that the company knew were defective. The report highlights a series of suspension failures in China that were similar to incidents experienced by Tesla owners in the US, with the company blaming driver abuse instead of acknowledging the inherent faults in the cars.