Police Investigate 'Tesla Defect Suspicion'... Obtaining Repair Records and Other Data from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency file photo / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] The police investigating allegations that electric vehicle company Tesla concealed defects in its car door handles while selling the vehicles have received related repair records from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

According to the police on the 21st, the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent investigators to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport building in Sejong City last month to secure data related to Tesla vehicle repair cases.

Prior to this, the police obtained the related data by executing a search and seizure warrant issued by the court. A police official explained, "Since the repair records included personal information, it was difficult to secure them through voluntary submission."

The police plan to determine the necessity of investigating Tesla officials and conducting compulsory investigations once the data analysis is complete.

The civic group Consumer Sovereignty Citizens' Assembly filed a complaint in July against Tesla Korea, Tesla's U.S. headquarters, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for violations of the Automobile Management Act and other charges. The group claimed that the 'Hidden Door System' applied to some Tesla models?a structure where the vehicle door handles remain hidden and pop out when touched by the owner?constitutes a serious defect that makes it difficult to rescue occupants in the event of a power outage caused by an accident. They also alleged that Tesla falsely advertised its autonomous driving assistance feature as 'Full Self Driving.'

The case was transferred from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul and then handed over again to the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

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