Elon Musk, X’s executive chairman, SpaceX founder, and Tesla’s CEO, has accumulated multiple accomplishments. Like everyone else, he’s had his faults and made mistakes. Some of which have caused many people to be quite apprehensive about using some of his products due to incredibly high safety concerns; for example, SpaceX’s generous injury rates amongst employees and Tesla’s multiple recalls and lawsuits.
Musk has said before that the Tesla car models are an innovation and will help us advance into the future, but what happens to that when there are so many life-risking malfunctions? For instance, within the past few years of the Cybertruck release and the quick, significant demand or “hype” around them, there has been a rush of production, causing many manufacturing steps to be overlooked and later causing the trucks to be recalled. Some main problems include a sticky accelerator pedal, the car wash feature, which would help seal the car from additional head-on water, and the front trunk areas not having the precautious feature to sense when a finger is in the closing path. According to Fast Company, “…The recall notice states: ‘The accelerator pedal can become stuck, sending the truck accelerating beyond control, making it a danger to everyone on the road.’” These are all very appropriate concerns. There are also significant issues with other models that have been called to attention by numerous people, like sudden braking, the auto-pilot feature causing innumerable crashes, and console faults.
The Cybertruck also has a questionable body design. Although it’s advertised as being constructed of stainless steel, owners have realized that some of it is made of plastic, which could be more durable. It has also come to public attention that the steel is starting to rust, and the truck’s hitch is attached to practically nothing. The other models also have structural issues. For example, an ice storm takes place, and the door handles freeze shut.
Additionally, when the original steel ball test occurred on the automobile in 2019, it completely wrecked the glass, falsifying Musk’s claim about the “shatter resistance.” He returned to re-test the windows in 2024 but didn’t have the same standards, practically tossing a baseball, which led to the apparent conclusion that the glass wouldn’t break. Due to the long list of concerns, it’s not surprising that the company has a large number of lawsuits.
Tesla Inc. has over 1,750 cases; as of June, there were already 420 additional litigations, ranging from automotive issues to harassment in the work establishment. One of the most prominent cases against the company was Owen Diaz vs. Tesla for racial harassment while Diaz worked there from 2015-2016. The court awarded him $137 million. Tesla isn’t the only company that has had questionable actions in the workplace. SpaceX has a concerning amount of injuries among its employees. There were over 600 unreported incidents and at least one death.
Although Musk has made some progress, his creations have worldly benefits. Compared to highly used gas cars, all-electric automobiles produce little to zero carbon emissions, but these vehicles don’t have the best pro-to-con ratio across the board. Tesla is unpredictable and flawed overall, dragging along the index of safety concerns everywhere it treads. One would just be better off biking or driving a gas car around.
