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Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Reuters/Yonhap News)

After investigating allegations that the US electric vehicle company Tesla concealed vehicle defects, South Korean police decided not to pursue the charges, citing a lack of evidence.

The anti-corruption and public crime investigation team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced Thursday that it had reached the decision last month not to pursue charges or refer a case against Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Tesla Korea, and Tesla’s head office in the US, which had been accused of fraud and violations of the Motor Vehicle Management Act and Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising.

“The accusers claimed that the failure of the vehicle’s door to open when the power was shut off represented a ‘vehicle defect,’ and after questioning of witnesses and an authoritative interpretation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it was determined that this could not be viewed as a flaw that creates problems for safe operation of the vehicle, and the decision was made not to refer the case due to lack of evidence,” a police official said.

In June 2021, the civic group Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty pressed charges against Musk and Tesla for violating the Motor Vehicle Management Act with certain features such as Tesla’s “hidden door system” — where the vehicle’s handle is concealed until pressed — that it claimed were “defects” creating difficulties for safe operation.

“Despite being previously aware of defects such as the Tesla Model X’s touch-based approach and the hidden pop-up method of the Model S creating difficulties for safe operation, [Tesla] has concealed them and failed to take any corrective action, while continuing to engage in unethical business activities, focusing solely on economic profits at the expense of consumers’ safety and lives,” the group argued.

In the vehicle’s user manual, Tesla explains that the door can be opened manually even when the power has been shut off.

After receiving the complaint, police launched an investigation in November 2021, receiving details through the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry on repair requests received in connection with the failure of Tesla vehicle doors to open.

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter

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