In a shocking investigative report published by Reuters on Wednesday, allegations have emerged of deliberate neglect and blame-shifting at Tesla, the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. The report documents a long-standing pattern of Tesla accusing vehicle owners of "driver abuse" and charging them for repairs, even for failures caused by flawed parts that were internally acknowledged by the company.

The focus of the alleged neglect centers around issues related to suspension and steering, with Tesla owners sharing their experiences of being wrongly informed that their car's problems were a result of prior damage or driver abuse. One such account in the report is that of Shreyansh Jain, who experienced a suspension collapse in his newly purchased 2023 Tesla Model Y after less than 24 hours of ownership. Despite a service representative finding no evidence of external damage, Jain later received a letter from Tesla claiming that prior external influence had caused the suspension failure, leading him to cover the $1,250 repair costs.

Another case highlighted in the investigation involves Cincinnati surgeon Trace Curry, who reportedly paid around $10,000 for multiple replacements of control arms, suspension, and front half shafts in his 2016 Tesla Model X. Documents reviewed by Reuters suggest that Tesla was aware of the high failure rates of these parts but did not take decisive action.

Furthermore, the report uncovers instances of Tesla's inconsistent responses to part recalls in different regions. Chinese regulators reportedly pressured the company into recalling the aft link, a suspension part, after engineers identified its tendency to snap in several incidents. However, in the US and Europe, where similar failures were reported, Tesla delayed a recall for four years and allegedly attributed the problems to "driver abuse." A 2019 internal memo obtained by Reuters revealed that Tesla service centers were directed to blame incidents on "vehicle misuse" such as hitting curbs or experiencing excessive impacts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been actively investigating Tesla since 2020 for issues related to the fore link in Model S and Model X, as well as power steering failures in the 2023 Model 3 and Model Y. The findings of Reuters' extensive report may provide crucial insights for the ongoing investigations by the NHTSA.

The revelations from this exposé have raised concerns about the transparency and accountability of Tesla's practices when it comes to handling parts failures and addressing customer concerns. Tesla has not yet issued a response to the specific allegations made in the Reuters report.

As Tesla owners who have paid for repairs out of pocket and industry experts await further developments, it remains to be seen how these allegations will impact the reputation and future operations of the iconic electric car manufacturer.

Note: The information provided in this article is based solely on the details presented in the Reuters investigative report.