Do you own a Model S? If you want to file a compliant, you have every right. Will reporting a car stalling to the NTHSA speed Tesla along or make them spend more time in paperwork? If you found a very serious safety issue (don't consider stalling one-yes, you could get hit by a car or even a falling boulder) then file away. Why not give Tesla time to address it and if they don't, then file? Would a tire blowing out on the highway (newer tire) prompt a NTHSA investigation into the tire manufacturer? A blown tire at highway speeds is more dangerous than a stalling car that gradually slows down.
I don't think any of us will convince you. You think the NTSHA should be sent a complaint for any potential issue immediately and I think giving Tesla a chance to address the more minor issues first makes sense. Anyway, this is kind of going in circles at this point.
No, I don't own a Model S. IIRC, to file a safety complaint on a car, you have to provide your contact info and VIN anyway.
Those who have NOT experienced legitimate safety defects should NOT be filing safety complaints w/NHTSA. Doing so would be wrong.
As for stalling, it is most definitely a serious safety issue. If it weren't, why have tens of millions of vehicles, if not hundreds of millions been recalled for this? And, they continue to be. It is NOT minor.
Yes, Tesla and any automaker should be given the chance to address it first. But, it should still be reported to NHTSA, preferably after the fact. I will word future posts on this subject to emphasis that.
BTW, during the whole Toyota SUA debacle, I found it odd/interesting that there was a HUGE spike (see graph at
It's All Your Fault: The DOT Renders Its Verdict on Toyota's Unintended-Acceleration Scare Car and Driver) as a result of/during all the media attention. Hmmm...
As for tires, they've been recalled as well. Tire failure can be tougher if encountered while driving as it may be unknown if it was due to defects vs. hitting a road hazard. But, certain ones can be obvious such as tread separation.
I personally was in car that suffered either a tire failure or blowout or damage due to road hazard. I wasn't driving at the time. My mother was driving. It was at night, the tire was the oldest one on the car on the right side and she was in the right lane of I-5. There was at least one loud noise then the TPMS light came on. Sure enough, there was a large hole. Cause was unclear, but it's possible it was due to a road hazard.
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Actually most people report to the NHTSA when the manufacturer/dealer does NOT repair/acknowledge the problem. If people are satisfied with the repair and feel the manufacturer has adequately addressed the issue, they would not feel the need to report it.
And you are assuming the NHTSA is the primary or only place where manufacturers track incident reports (you keep suggesting that not reporting to the NHTSA will possibly delay a recall). However, Tesla has done two voluntary recalls before and neither time were there any related NHTSA complaints. It's much quicker to notify the company (service center/dealer at minimum, and escalate to corporate if it's a serious safety issue) directly rather than going through the NHTSA (which from a document I read results in a 100 day delay because the NHTSA is simply not staffed enough to handle the workload).
How do you know about the "most people" assertion?
No, NHTSA isn't the only place, but it just seems strange to tell people to NOT report it there at all.
Yes, it's much quicker to deal w/the manufacturer/dealer first and that should be done, but legitimate safety defects that an owner has experienced should still be reported to NHTSA, preferably after it's been addressed. In some cases, it's impossible to have it addressed (e.g. vehicle totaled due to fire or serious accident, rental car, etc.).