Leading manufacturer of electric vehicles, company Tesla, caught in the headlines after the leak 100 GB of secret files, containing information about driver complaints about dangerous autopilot problems. According to the German publication Handelsblatt, which received data from an anonymous source and confirmed their authenticity, these files contain thousands of complaints and accident reports, related to unintentional braking or acceleration of Tesla electric vehicles. reported, that similar incidents occurred mainly in the USA and Germany.
Indifference to dangerous autopilot failures
During the study, more 23 000 Tesla internal files, Handelsblatt reporters discover a worrying trend – the company does not pay enough attention to customer complaints about dangerous autopilot failures. Despite, that Tesla tried to prevent the use of this data and even threatened lawsuits, edition came to a conclusion, that the disclosure of the data breach complies with European Union law.
Owner complaints about spontaneous acceleration and braking problems
According to information, contained in leaked files, more 2400 Tesla electric car owners left complaints about spontaneous acceleration, and from above 1500 people have problems with braking. Among them were 139 cases of unintentional emergency braking and 383 the case “phantom” stops, caused by false collision warnings. Total number of incidents, related to these problems, exceeded 1000. Besides, more than 3000 records, in which customers expressed their concerns about the safety of the driver assistance system.
Dissemination of Information in a Limited Form
According to reports, Tesla actively seeks to hide the presence of problems. Each complaint is reflected in internal reports, each entry is accompanied by a note, in bold, about that, that information can only be communicated to the client orally. Tesla employees are prohibited from copying or pasting report content into emails., text messages or voice mail to customers. The company also banned the disclosure of information about vehicles without proper permission.. When, if a “it is impossible to prevent the involvement of a lawyer”, Tesla encourages its employees to document such incidents..
Confirmation of problems from electric vehicle owners
Electric vehicle owners confirm, that Tesla employees avoid written communication and prefer verbal forms of communication. “They never send emails, everything is always transmitted orally”, – one doctor from California told the publication, who is also a Tesla customer.
conclusions
A leak 100 GB of secret files with driver complaints about dangerous autopilot problems puts Tesla in a difficult position. Disclosure of this information affects the reputation of the company and causes a wave of anxiety among customers.. Company faces accusations of ignoring issues and refusing written communication with customers. In light of the data breach, Tesla, probably, will be forced to take action to address these issues and restore confidence in their vehicles.
