Tesla is known for pushing the envelope when it comes to car manufacturing. Sometimes, this leads to nice things, like the way the automaker has revolutionized the auto industry by popularizing electric vehicles.
At other times, the results are not so nice, such as having seat belts that reportedly don't work.
Unfortunately, this is one of the latter times. AP reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into complaints that some of Tesla's front seat belts are not adequately attached and could come loose in the event of a crash.
The complaints are for both the Tesla Model X SUVs from 2022 and 2023, of which there are around 50,000 on the road.
This is not the first time that Tesla has experienced safety regulation issues. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened another investigation after a Tesla Model S operating in self-driving mode ran into a parked fire truck, killing the driver. At least 14 other similar crashes, where Teslas hit parked emergency vehicles, have been reported.
There have also been recent reports of Tesla steering wheels coming off while cars were in motion, cars in self-driving mode not being able to respond to changes in speed limits, cars being recalled due to loose bolts, and, of course, Teslas spontaneously bursting into flames.
Luckily, if you're shopping for an electric vehicle, there are now plenty of them on the market — such as ultra-affordable models from Nissan and Chevy — that cost a fraction of the price of most Teslas and haven't been plagued by similar concerns.
And, in even better news, owners of non-Tesla electric vehicles are now able to use Tesla charging stations to charge their cars for the first time, although there are a few growing pains associated with that new update as well.
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