I've been following this issue discussed in other forums, and searching here I did not see anything. I hope I'm not duplicating threads, if so, please move to the correct location.
The Long Tail Pipe: Tesla's first "safety complaint" lodged against the Model S - might there be quality control problems?
The Long Tail Pipe: Tesla's first "safety complaint" lodged against the Model S - might there be quality control problems?
complaint said:Date Complaint Filed: 02/17/2013
Component(s): STRUCTURE Date of Incident: 02/14/2013
NHTSA ID Number: 10498446
All Products Associated with this Complaint
Details
0 Associated Documents
Crash:No Fire:No Number of Injuries:0 Number of Deaths:0
Manufacturer: TESLA MOTORS, INC
Vehicle Identification No. (VIN): 5YJSA1DN9DF...
SUMMARY:
I REMOVED THE REAR BUMPER COVER FROM THE CAR TO INSTALL A TRAILER HITCH. THREE OF THE FOUR NUTS WERE NOT TIGHTENED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STEEL BUMPER CROSS MEMBER. THE NUTS WERE LOOSELY STARTED ONTO THE STUDS. THE NUTS ARE LOCATED IN AN AREA THAT CANNOT BE INSPECTED WITHOUT DISASSEMBLING THE REAR OF THE CAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS IT AFFECTS CRASH CRUMPLE ZONE INTEGRITY AND PROTECTION FOR THE REAR FACING JUMP SEATS IN THIS VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT AND I DO NO BELIEVE THERE IS A DESIGN PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THERE IS AN ASSEMBLY QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE. *TR