Citizen Group Files Tesla Complaint with Prosecutors... "Knew About Defects but Hid Them"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] A consumer civic group has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of concealing defects in electric vehicles sold domestically and reported him to the prosecution.

On the 22nd, the Consumer Sovereignty Citizens' Association filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Tesla Korea, Tesla's U.S. headquarters, and Musk for violations of the Automobile Management Act and fraud charges.

They claimed that the 'Hidden Door System' applied to Tesla Model X and Model S is a serious defect because, unlike mechanical opening devices, it is difficult to rescue passengers if power is cut off during an accident. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's regulations on the performance and standards of automobiles and automobile parts stipulate that after a collision, at least one door per row of seats must be able to open without the use of tools so that all passengers can exit.

Additionally, they argued that Tesla conducted illegal wireless software updates (OTA) through Wi-Fi and mobile communication connections without going through service centers or repair shops, and failed to disclose details related to changes in vehicle functions, defects, and malfunctions caused by these updates, violating Article 31 of the Automobile Management Act.

The Consumer Sovereignty Citizens' Association stated, "Tesla concealed issues related to OTA and door opening, selling a total of 15,143 vehicles from 2017 to the end of 2020. Even when converted at an average minimum price of 60 million KRW per Tesla electric vehicle, this amounts to 908.58 billion KRW," adding, "This corresponds to a person who obtained property benefits by deceiving others as stipulated in Article 347, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Act."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.