Tesla Pushes Back Requests for Crash Data

Tesla is pushing the envelope with its autopilot technology, but it's also pushing back customers who want the crash data on their cars.

The company collects driver-data from its cars to develop the technology. However, Tesla makes customers pay nearly $1,000 for software to access the information.

It is only a summary, according to reports. Drivers say the company is telling them to go to court if they want more.

Crash Data

Raj Parikh, for example, asked for the data on his Tesla after it crashed in a parking lot. He said the Model S suddenly accelerated, and he couldn't stop it.

"I literally pushed the brakes with my two feet as hard as I could," he told Consumer Affairs, saying he hit two cars before the Tesla stopped.

The company said he could access the crash data, which requires a $995 payment to a third-party vendor. For more, Parikh would have to get a court order.

It wasn't the first time Tesla pushed a customer away after a crash. In January, a woman said her Model S suddenly surged, jumped a curb, and crashed into an office building. The company told her to get a subpoena.

Not Waiting

Some customers are not waiting for Tesla. After learning about a fatal Tesla accident, another driver activated the autopilot and a dashcam as drove past the scene to test his vehicle.

He said he got "freaked out" when the autopilot started to steer him into the center divider where the accident occurred a week earlier. A news reporter, who aired the video, noted that the autopilot camera had trouble seeing the highway lanes.

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