The vehicles made by American electric car company Tesla is known for being very safe, for example, the company’s high-end SUV the Model X has passed every safety regulations test with flying colors. Tesla however did face some issues when its famed autopilot system failed and resulted in fatal accidents, but this was not due to the lack of safety, rather it was because of the severity of the crashes. That said, the most recent accident which involved a Model Y being rear-ended, gave rise to some alarming breach of safety, this was also the first documented rear crash involving a Model Y crossover.
The Accident
The aforementioned accident occurred in Arizona, fortunately, all the occupants inside the car escaped without injury. The concerning bit from this crash is, the front passenger seat was twisted upon impact, how can the front passenger seat get mangled in such a manner from an impact on the rear of the car?
The accident became known to the public when a user named Trevor Thompson posted it on the Tesla Model Y Facebook group on July 15. Various electric car forums have tried to get in touch with Thompson and it seems like he hasn’t responded to them yet. Thompson is reportedly not the owner of the vehicle and a few sources are asking Thompson’s help to contact the owner of the Model Y. Both individuals live in Arizona.
Other than this post on Facebook, there isn’t any other source of information that can shed any light on this unfortunate accident. From the pictures that were shared, it is clear that the car took quite a hard hit; the rear of the vehicle is completely wrecked and is probably totalled. Thompson said that he did not know what happened to the front passenger seat and that the crash would be “scary if it had a 3rd row with passengers”. He also added that the seat was in a slightly reclined position at the time of the crash.
When someone asked what hit the Model Y, Thompson replied that it was truck pulling a trailer. There were some comments from people that said, the seat was twisted after the impact because the owner was a big guy and that the seat frame was made from aluminium, other discussions were the concerns about the safety of the third-row passenger in case of such an impact. There are so many unanswered questions as of now, we would have to wait until the owner or Trevor Thompson gives a detailed incident report, till then it will be unwise to come to any form of conclusion.
Other Issues with the Model Y
This is not the only problem that was reported on the Model Y, ever since Tesla started deliveries, customers have reported some quality issues. Model Y appears to be suffering from more problems than usual even by Tesla’s standards. The issues that were reported include problems with the paint and misaligned panels. On the inside, there seem to be some issues with the upholstery and loose seatbelts. Some owners reported that the base of the rear seat is not actually being attached to the vehicle. Tesla was trying to increase the production numbers by the end of this financial quarter, maybe this caused some negligence from the quality control. Due to this Tesla was refusing deliveries to some new buyers in order to rectify these issues. Tesla has a lot riding on this car and it is fair to say that Tesla will analyze and rectify these issues as soon as possible to keep its loyal customers happy.
