Tesla to file complaint with Congress

NEW YORK, April 14, (AFP): Tesla said Thursday it plans to file a complaint with the US Congress over the handling of a probe into a fatal crash, especially over public disclosures about the investigation.

In the latest round in the spat with National Transportation Safety Board, a Tesla spokesperson accused the agency with being “more concerned with press headlines than actually promoting safety.”

Tesla said it “withdrew” from an agreement to participate in the investigation into a fiery March 23 crash in California that involved its “Autopilot” feature.

But the NTSB announced the “removal of Tesla,” after the company disclosed information the agency said could taint the public understanding of what happened, in violation of the agreement.

Tesla hit back at the statement from the independent federal agency that investigates aviation and transit accidents, and questioned its motives.

“Among other things, they repeatedly released partial bits of incomplete information to the media in violation of their own rules, at the same time that they were trying to prevent us from telling all the facts,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“We don’t believe this is right and we will be making an official complaint to Congress.”

The NTSB is investigating the accident that led to the death of a 38-yearold father of two, Walter Huang. Huang’s family signaled this week that it is exploring legal action against Tesla.

“While we understand the demand for information that parties face during an NTSB investigation, uncoordinated releases of incomplete information do not further transportation safety or serve the public interest,” NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said in a statement.

The agency has removed companies before, but the move is “rare,” it said.