Lawsuits and controversies Main articles: List of lawsuits involving Tesla, Inc. and Criticism of Tesla, Inc. Sexual harassment In 2021, seven women came forward with claims of having faced sexual harassment and discrimination while working at Tesla's Fremont factory.[308] They accused the company of facilitating a culture of rampant sexual harassment. The women said they were consistently subjected to catcalling, unwanted advances, unwanted touching, and discrimination while at work. "I was so tired of the unwanted attention and the males gawking at me I proceeded to create barriers around me just so I could get some relief," Brooks told The Washington Post. "That was something I felt necessary just so I can do my job." Stories range from intimate groping to being called out to the parking lot for sex.[309] Women feared calling Human Resources for help as their supervisors were often participants.[310] Musk himself is not indicted, but most of the women pressing charges believe their abuse is connected to the behavior of CEO Elon Musk. They cite his crude remarks about women's bodies, wisecracks about starting a university that abbreviated to "T.IT.S", and his generally dismissive attitude towards reporting sexual harassment.[311] "What we're addressing for each of the lawsuits is just a shocking pattern of rampant harassment that exists at Tesla," said attorney David A. Lowe.[310] In 2017, another woman had accused Tesla of very similar behavior and was subsequently fired. In a statement to the Guardian, Tesla confirmed the company had fired her, saying it had thoroughly investigated the employee's allegations with the help of "a neutral, third-party expert" and concluded her complaints were unmerited.[312] In May 2022, a California judge ruled that the sexual harassment lawsuit could move to court, rejecting Tesla's request for closed-door arbitration.[313] Labor disputes See also: Tesla and unions United States In June 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) took issue with Tesla's use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) regarding customer repairs[314] and, in October 2021, the NHTSA formally asked Tesla to explain its NDA policy regarding customers invited into the FSD Beta.[315] Tesla has used NDAs on multiple occasions with both employees[316] and customers[317] to allegedly prevent possible negative coverage.[318][319] From 2014 to 2018, Tesla's Fremont Factory had three times as many Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations as the ten largest U.S. auto plants combined.[320] An investigation by the Reveal podcast alleged that Tesla "failed to report some of its serious injuries on legally mandated reports" to downplay the extent of injuries.[321] In January 2019, former Tesla security manager Sean Gouthro filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that the company had hacked employees' phones and spied on them, while also failing to report illegal activities to the authorities and shareholders.[322][323][324] Several legal cases have revolved around alleged whistleblower retaliation by Tesla. These include the dismissal of Tesla safety official Carlos Ramirez[325][326] and Tesla security employee Karl Hansen.[327] In 2020, the court ordered Hansen's case to arbitration.[328] In June 2022, the arbitrator filed an unopposed motion with the court stating Hansen "has failed to establish the claims...Accordingly his claims are denied, and he shall take nothing".[329] In September 2019, a California judge ruled that 12 actions in 2017 and 2018 by Musk and other Tesla executives violated labor laws because they sabotaged employee attempts to unionize.[330][331] In March 2021, the US National Labor Relations Board ordered Musk to remove a tweet and reinstate a fired employee over union organization activities.[332][333] Later, after appealing, a federal appeals court upheld the decision.[334] The California Civil Rights Department filed a suit in 2022 alleging "a pattern of racial harassment and bias" at the Tesla Fremont factory. As of April 2023, the department is also conducting a probe of the factory based on a 2021 complaint and claims that Tesla has been obstructing the investigation.[335] Europe In October 2023, a strike was initiated by the Swedish labor union IF Metall against a Tesla subsidiary due to the company's refusal to sign a collective agreement. The strike initially involved approximately 120 mechanics at ten workshops servicing Tesla vehicles and later expanded via solidarity strikes to include services provided by postmen, electricians, and other workers involved with Tesla operations.[336][337][338] Fraud allegations There have been numerous concerns about Tesla's financial reporting. In 2013, Bloomberg News questioned whether Tesla's financial reporting violated Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) reporting standards.[339] Fortune accused Tesla in 2016 of using creative accounting to show positive cash flow and quarterly profits.[340] In 2018, analysts expressed concerns over Tesla's accounts receivable balance.[341] In September 2019, the SEC questioned Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn about Tesla's warranty reserves and lease accounting.[342] In a letter to his clients, hedge fund manager David Einhorn, whose firm suffered losses from its short position against Tesla that quarter, accused Elon Musk in November 2019 of "significant fraud",[343][344] and publicly questioned Tesla's accounting practices, telling Musk that he was "beginning to wonder whether your accounts receivable exist."[345] From 2012 to 2014, Tesla earned more than $295 million in Zero Emission Vehicle credits for a battery-swapping technology that was never made available to customers.[346] Staff at California Air Resources Board were concerned that Tesla was "gaming" the battery swap subsidies and in 2013 recommended eliminating the credits.[347] A consolidated shareholders lawsuit alleges that Musk knew SolarCity was going broke before the acquisition, that he and the Tesla board overpaid for SolarCity, ignored their conflicts of interest and breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the deal, and failed to disclose "troubling facts" essential to an analysis of the proposed acquisition.[348] The members of the board settled in 2020, leaving Musk as the only defendant.[349] In April 2022, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled in favor of Musk,[350][351] and its ruling was upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court in June 2023.[352] In August 2018, Elon Musk tweeted, "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured."[353] The tweet caused the stock to initially rise but then drop when it was revealed to be false.[354][355][356] Musk settled fraud charges with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over his false statements in September 2018. According to the terms of the settlement, Musk agreed to have his tweets reviewed by Tesla's in-house counsel, he was removed from his chairman role at Tesla temporarily, and two new independent directors were appointed to the company's board.[357] Tesla and Musk also paid civil penalties of $20 million each.[357] A civil class-action shareholder lawsuit over Musk's statements and other derivative lawsuits were also filed against Musk and the members of Tesla's board of directors, as then constituted, in regard to claims and actions made that were associated with potentially going private.[358][359] In February 2023, a California jury unanimously found Musk and Tesla not liable in the class-action lawsuit.[360] In September 2018, Tesla disclosed that it was under investigation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding its Model 3 production figures.[361] Authorities were investigating whether the company misled investors and made projections about its Model 3 production that it knew would be impossible to meet.[361] A stockholder class action lawsuit against Tesla related to Model 3 production numbers (unrelated to the FBI investigation) was dismissed in March 2019.[362][363][364] Tesla US dealership disputes See also: Tesla US dealership disputes Unlike other automakers, Tesla does not rely on franchised auto dealerships to sell vehicles and instead directly sells vehicles through its website and a network of company-owned stores. In some areas, Tesla operates locations called "galleries" which "educate and inform customers about our products, but such locations do not actually transact in the sale of vehicles."[133] This is because some jurisdictions, particularly in the United States, prohibit auto manufacturers from directly selling vehicles to consumers. Dealership associations have filed lawsuits to prevent direct sales. These associations argued that the franchise system protects consumers by encouraging dealers to compete with each other, lowering the price a customer pays. They also claimed that direct sales would allow manufacturers to undersell their own dealers.[136] The United States Federal Trade Commission ultimately disproved the associations' claims and recommended allowing direct manufacturer sale, which they concluded would save consumers 8% in average vehicle price.[365][366][367] Tesla has also lobbied state governments for the right to directly sell cars.[368] The company has argued that directly operating stores improves consumer education about electric vehicles,[133] because dealerships would sell both Tesla and gas-powered vehicles. Doing this, according to the company, would then set up a conflict of interest for the dealers since properly advertising the benefits of an electric car would disparage the gas-powered vehicles, creating a disincentive to dealership EV sales.[136] Musk himself further contended that dealers would have a disincentive to sell electric vehicles because they require less maintenance and therefore would reduce after-sales service revenue, a large profit center for most dealerships.[103] Intellectual property In January 2021, Tesla filed a lawsuit against Alex Khatilov alleging that the former employee stole company information by downloading files related to its Warp Drive software to his personal Dropbox account.[369] Khatilov denies the allegation that he was acting as a "willful and malicious thief" and attributes his actions to an accidental data transfer.[370] The case was settled in August 2021 through mediation.[371] Tesla has sued former employees in the past for similar actions, including those who left to work for a rival such as XPeng and Zoox;[372] for example, Guangzhi Cao, a Tesla engineer, was accused of uploading Tesla Autopilot source code to his iCloud account;[373] Tesla and Cao settled in April 2021, in which Cao was ordered to monetarily compensate Tesla.[374] Misappropriation In 2018, a class action was filed against Musk and the members of Tesla's board alleging they breached their fiduciary duties by approving Musk's stock-based compensation plan.[359] Musk received the first portion of his stock options payout, worth more than $700 million in May 2020.[375] In July 2023, Tesla board members returned $735 million to the company to settle a claim from a 2020 lawsuit alleging misappropriation of 11 million stock options granted to Elon Musk, Kimbal Musk, Larry Ellison, and others from 2017 to 2020.[376][377] Environmental violations In 2019, The United States Environmental Protection Agency fined Tesla for hazardous waste violations that occurred in 2017.[378] In June 2019, Tesla began negotiating penalties for 19 environmental violations from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District;[379] the violations took place around Tesla Fremont's paint shop, where there had been at least four fires between 2014 and 2019.[380] Environmental violations and permit deviations at Tesla's Fremont Factory increased from 2018 to 2019 with the production ramp of the Model 3.[381] In June 2018, Tesla employee Martin Tripp leaked information that Tesla was scrapping or reworking up to 40% of its raw materials at the Nevada Gigafactory.[382] After Tesla fired him for the leak, Tripp filed a lawsuit and claimed Tesla's security team gave police a false tip that he was planning a mass shooting at the Nevada factory.[383][322] The court ruled in Tesla's favor on September 17, 2020.[384][385] In January 2024, 25 California counties sued Tesla, accusing the company of violating state health and safety codes by illegally disposing of hazardous waste. Later that week, the case was settled on the conditions that Tesla pay 1.5 million USD and admit to acting "intentionally" and "negligent".[386][387] Property damage In August 2019, Walmart filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tesla, claiming that Tesla's "negligent installation and maintenance" of solar panels caused roof fires at seven Walmart stores dating back to 2012.[388] Walmart reached a settlement with Tesla in November 2019; the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.[389] In May 2021, a Norwegian judge found Tesla guilty of throttling charging speed through a 2019 over-the-air software update, awarding each of the 30 customers who were part of the lawsuit 136,000 Norwegian kroner ($16,000).[390] Racism Tesla has faced numerous complaints regarding workplace harassment and racial discrimination,[391][392] with one former Tesla worker who attempted to sue the employer describing it as "a hotbed of racist behavior".[393] As of December 2021, three percent of leadership at the company are African American.[394] A former black worker described the work environment at Tesla's Buffalo plant as a "very racist place".[395] Tesla and SpaceX's treatment of Juneteenth in 2020 also came under fire.[396] Approximately 100 former employees have submitted signed statements alleging that Tesla discriminates specifically against African Americans and "allows a racist environment in its factories."[397] According to the state's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Fremont factory is a racially segregated place where Black employees claim they are given the most menial[398] and physically demanding work.[399] The accusations of racism culminated in February 2022 with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing suing Tesla for "discriminating against its Black workers."[400] In July 2021, former employee Melvin Berry received $1 million in his discrimination case in arbitration against Tesla after he claimed he was referred to by the n-word and forced to work longer hours at the Fremont plant.[401] In October 2021, a jury verdict in the Owen Diaz vs. Tesla trial awarded the plaintiff $137 million in damages after he had faced racial harassment at Tesla's Fremont facility during 2015–2016.[402][403] In a blog, Tesla stressed that Diaz was never "really" a Tesla worker, and that most utterings of the n-word were expressed in a friendly manner.[404][405] In April 2022, federal judge William Orrick upheld the jury finding of Tesla's liability but reduced the total damage down to $15 million.[406] Diaz was given a two-week deadline to decide if he would collect the damages. In June 2022, Diaz announced that he would be rejecting the $15 million award, opening the door for a new trial.[407] In April 2023, Diaz was awarded $3.2 million in the new trial.[408] Few of these cases against Tesla ever make it to trial as most employees are made to sign arbitration agreements.[409] Employees are afterwards required to resolve such disputes out of court, and behind closed doors. COVID-19 pandemic Tesla's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has been the subject of considerable criticism. Musk had sought to exempt the Tesla Fremont factory in Alameda County, California from the government's stay-at-home orders. In an earnings call in April, he was heard calling the public health orders "fascist".[410] He had also called the public's response to the pandemic "dumb" and had said online that there would be zero cases by April.[411] In May 2020, while Alameda County officials were negotiating with the company to reopen the Fremont Factory on the 18th, Musk defied local government orders by restarting production on the 11th.[412][413][414] Tesla also sued Alameda County, questioning the legality of the orders, but backed down after the Fremont Factory was given approval to reopen.[415][416] In June 2020, Tesla published a detailed plan for bringing employees back to work and keeping them safe,[417] however some employees still expressed concern for their health.[418] In May 2020, Musk told workers that they could stay home if they felt uncomfortable coming back to work.[419] But in June, Tesla fired an employee who criticized the company for taking inadequate safety measures to protect workers from the coronavirus at the Fremont Factory.[420] Three more employees at Tesla's Fremont Factory claimed they were fired for staying home out of fear of catching COVID-19. This was subsequently denied by Tesla, which even stated that the employees were still on the payroll.[421] COVID-19 cases at the factory grew from 10 in May 2020 to 125 in December 2020, with about 450 total cases in that time period out of the approximately 10,000 workers at the plant (4.5%).[410][422] In China, Tesla had what one executive described as "not a green light from the government to get back to work – but a flashing-sirens police escort."[423] Tesla enjoyed special treatment and strong government support in China, including tax breaks, cheap financing, and assistance in building its Giga Shanghai factory at breakneck speeds.[423] Musk has praised China's way of doing things, a controversial stance due to deteriorating U.S.–Chinese relations, the Persecution of Uyghurs in China, and alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong.[423] Criticism Main article: Criticism of Tesla, Inc. Data privacy Tesla was only the second product ever reviewed by Mozilla foundation which ticked all of their privacy concerns.[424][425] A Tesla owner filed a lawsuit in 2023 following a Reuters report that Tesla employees shared "highly invasive videos and images recorded by customers' car cameras" with one another.[426] Internal data troves shared with various international government agencies and news organizations by former employee and whistleblower Lukasz Krupski in late 2023 implicated Tesla in "serious data protection lapse[s]."[427] The data Krupski retrieved included "information about current and former Tesla staff, including passport numbers, medical details and salaries" and was readily available on internal systems that most employees had access to.[428] As of November 2023, the Data Protection Authority in the Netherlands is investigating whether Tesla's alleged lack of internal security violated privacy laws.[429] Short sellers TSLAQ is a collective of Tesla critics and short sellers who aim to "shape [the] perception [of Tesla] and move its stock."[430] In January 2020, 20% of Tesla stock was shorted, the highest at that time of any stock in the U.S. equity markets.[431] By early 2021, according to CNN, short sellers had lost $40 billion during 2020 as the stock price climbed much higher.[432] Michael Burry, a short seller portrayed in The Big Short, had shorted Tesla previously via his firm Scion Asset Management, but removed his position in October 2021.[433] Tesla's mission According to automotive journalist Jamie Kitman, when multiple CEOs of major automotive manufacturers approached Tesla for EV technology that Musk had claimed the company was willing to share, they instead were offered the opportunity to buy regulatory credits from Tesla. This suggested, according to Kitman, that "the company may not be as eager for the electric revolution to occur as it claims."[434] Giga New York audit In 2020, the New York State Comptroller released an audit of the Giga New York factory project, concluding that it presented many red flags, including lack of basic due diligence and that the factory itself produced only $0.54 in economic benefits for every $1 spent by the state.[435][436][437] Delays Musk has been criticized for repeated pushing out both production and release dates of products.[438][439] By one count in 2016, Musk had missed 20 projections.[440] In October 2017, Musk predicted that Model 3 production would be 5,000 units per week by December.[441] A month later, he revised that target to "sometime in March" 2018.[442] Delivery dates for the Model 3 were delayed as well.[443] Other projects like converting supercharger stations to be solar-powered have also lagged projections.[444] Musk responded in late 2018: "punctuality is not my strong suit...I never made a mass-produced car. How am I supposed to know with precision when it's gonna get done?"[445] Vehicle product issues Recalls On April 20, 2017, Tesla issued a worldwide recall of 53,000 (~70%) of the 76,000 vehicles it sold in 2016 due to faulty parking brakes which could become stuck and "prevent the vehicles from moving".[446][447] On March 29, 2018, Tesla issued a worldwide recall of 123,000 Model S cars built before April 2016 due to corrosion-susceptible power steering bolts, which could fail and require the driver to use "increased force" to control the vehicle.[448] In October 2020, Tesla initiated a recall of nearly 50,000 Model X and Y vehicles throughout China for suspension issues.[449] Soon after in November, the NHTSA announced it had opened its own investigation into 115,000 Tesla cars regarding "front suspension safety issues", citing specifically 2015–2017 Model S and 2016–2017 Model X years. Cases of the "whompy wheel" phenomenon, which also included Model X and the occasional Model 3 cars, have been documented through 2020.[450][451] In February 2021, Tesla was required by the NHTSA to recall 135,000 Model S and Model X vehicles built from 2012 to 2018 due to using a flash memory device that was rated to last only 5 to 6 years.[452] The problem was related to touchscreen failures that could possibly affect the rear-view camera, safety systems, Autopilot and other features.[453][454] The underlying technical reason is that the car writes a large amount of syslog content to the device, wearing it out prematurely.[455] Also in February 2021, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) ordered Tesla to recall 12,300 Model X cars because of "body mouldings problems".[456][457] In June 2021, Tesla recalled 5,974 electric vehicles due to worries that brake caliper bolts might become loose, which could lead to loss of tire pressure, potentially increasing the chance of a crash.[458] On December 30, 2021, Tesla announced that they are recalling more than 475,000 US model vehicles. This included 356,309 Model 3 Tesla vehicles from 2017 to 2020 due to rear-view camera issues and a further 119,009 Tesla Model S vehicles due to potential problems with the trunk or boot. The Model S recall includes vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2021. Around 1% of recalled Model 3s may have a defective rear-view camera, and around 14% of recalled model S' may have the defect. The recall was not linked to a contemporaneous issue regarding the Passenger Play feature, which allowed games to be played on the touchscreen while the car is in motion.[459] After an investigation was launched by the NHTSA covering 585,000 vehicles, Tesla agreed to make changes where the feature would be locked and unusable while the car is moving.[460] In September 2022, Tesla announced that they are recalling almost 1.1 million US model vehicles because the automatic window reversal system might not react correctly after detecting an obstruction, increasing the risk of injury.[461][462] In response, Tesla announced an over-the-air software fix.[462] In February 2023, Tesla recalled its FSD software following a recommendation from NHTSA; the recall applied to approximately 360,000 cars.[463] NHTSA found that FSD caused "unreasonable risk" when used on city streets.[464] In March 2023, about 3,500 Model Y Teslas were recalled for a bolting issue concerning the cars' second-row seats.[465] In December 2023, following a 2-year-long investigation by the NHTSA,[466] Tesla issued a wider recall on all vehicles equipped with any version of Autosteer, including 2012–2023 Model S; 2016–2023 Model X; 2017–2023 Model 3; and 2020–2023 Model Y, covering 2,031,220 vehicles in total.[467] The NHTSA concluded that Autosteer's controls were not sufficient to prevent misuse and did not ensure that the drivers maintained "continuous and sustained responsibility for vehicle operation" and states that affected vehicles will receive an over-the-air software remedy.[467][468] Fires See also: Plug-in electric vehicle fire incidents § Tesla Tesla customers have reported the company as being "slow" to address how their cars can ignite.[469] In 2013, a Model S caught fire after the vehicle hit metal debris on a highway in Kent, Washington. Tesla confirmed the fire began in the battery pack and was caused by the impact of an object.[470] As a result of this and other incidents, Tesla announced its decision to extend its current vehicle warranty to cover fire damage.[471] In March 2014, the NHTSA announced that it had closed the investigation into whether the Model S was prone to catch fire, after Tesla said it would provide more protection to its battery packs.[472] All Model S cars manufactured after March 6, 2014, have had the 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) aluminum shield over the battery pack replaced with a new three-layer shield.[473] In October 2019, the NHTSA opened an investigation into possible battery defects in Tesla's Model S and X vehicles from 2012 to 2019 that could cause "non-crash" fires.[474][475][476] Autopilot crashes See also: Tesla Autopilot § Fatal crashes A Model S driver died in a collision with a tractor-trailer in 2016, while the vehicle was in Autopilot mode; the driver is believed to be the first person to have died in a Tesla vehicle in Autopilot.[477][478] The NHTSA investigated the accident but found no safety-related defect trend.[479] In March 2018, a driver of a Tesla Model X was killed in a crash. Investigators say that the driver of the vehicle had his car in 'self-driving' mode and was using his phone to play games when the vehicle collided with the barrier in the middle of the freeway. Through investigation, the NTSB found that the Tesla malfunctioned due to the system being confused by an exit on the freeway.[480] According to a document released in June 2021, the NHTSA has initiated at least 30 investigations into Tesla crashes that were believed to involve the use of Autopilot, with some involving fatalities.[481][482] In early September 2021, the NHTSA updated the list with an additional fatality incident[483] and ordered Tesla to hand over all extensive data pertaining to US cars with Autopilot to determine if there is a safety defect that leads Tesla cars to collide with first-responder vehicles.[483][484][485] In late September 2021, Tesla released an over-the-air software update to detect emergency lights at night.[486] In October 2021, the NHTSA asked Tesla why it did not issue a recall when it sent out that update.[487] In June 2022, the NHTSA said it would expand its probe, extending it to 830,000 cars from all current Tesla models. The probe will be moved up from the Preliminary Evaluation level to the Engineering Analysis one. The regulator cited the reason for the expansion as the need to "explore the degree to which Autopilot and associated Tesla systems may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver's supervision."[488] A safety test conducted by the Dawn Project in August 2022 demonstrated that a test driver using the beta version of Full Self-Driving repeatedly hit a child-sized mannequin in its path,[489] but there has been controversy over its conclusions.[490] Several Tesla owners responded by conducting their own, independent tests using children; NHTSA released a statement warning against the practice.[491] Software hacking In August 2015, two researchers said they were able to take control of a Tesla Model S by hacking into the car's entertainment system.[492] The hack required the researchers to physically access the car.[493] Tesla issued a security update for the Model S the day after the exploit was announced.[494] In September 2016, researchers at Tencent's Keen Security Lab demonstrated a remote attack on a Tesla Model S and controlled the vehicle in both Parking and Driving Mode without physical access. They were able to compromise the automotive networking bus (CAN bus) when the vehicle's web browser was used while the vehicle was connected to a malicious Wi-Fi hotspot.[495] This was the first case of a remote control exploit demonstrated on a Tesla. The vulnerability was disclosed to Tesla under their bug bounty program and patched within 10 days, before the exploit was made public.[496] Tencent also hacked the doors of a Model X in 2017.[497] In January 2018, security researchers informed Tesla that an Amazon Web Services account of theirs could be accessed directly from the Internet and that the account had been exploited for cryptocurrency mining. Tesla responded by securing the compromised system, rewarding the security researchers financially via their bug bounty program, and stating that the compromise did not violate customer privacy, nor vehicle safety or security.[498][499] Later in 2019, Tesla awarded a car and $375,000 to ethical hackers during a Pwn2Own Model 3 hacking event.[500] In June 2022, Martin Herfurt, a security researcher in Austria, discovered that changes made to make Tesla vehicles easier to start with NFC cards also allowed for pairing new keys to the vehicle, allowing an attacker to enroll their own keys to a vehicle.[501] Phantom braking In February 2022, Tesla drivers have reported a surge in "phantom braking" events when using Tesla Autopilot which coincides with the automaker's removal of radar as a supplemental sensor in May 2021.[502] In response, NHTSA has opened an investigation.[503] In May 2023, German business newspaper Handelsblatt published a series of articles based on a trove of internal Tesla data submitted to them from informants.[504] The 100 gigabytes of data "contain[ed] over 1,000 accident reports involving phantom braking or unintended acceleration" as well as complaints about Tesla Autopilot.[505] Dutch authorities responded by saying they were investigating the company for possible data privacy violations.[506] Driving range performance Tesla has received thousands of complaints from owners that the driving ranges of their vehicles did not meet the ranges advertised by Tesla or the projections of in-dash range meters. When service centers were overwhelmed with appointments to take care of these issues, Tesla established a diversion team to cancel as many appointments as possible. Customers were told that remote diagnostics had determined there was no problem and their appointments were canceled. The company has been fined by South Korean regulators for its exaggerated range estimates.[507]