Swedish transport regulator launches probe on Tesla suspension failures

The transport watchdog of Sweden, has said it is investigating suspension failures in Tesla cars in a fact-finding similar to that of neighbouring Norway's traffic safety regulator. "We can ... confirm that investigative work is also underway with us," The Swedish agency said in an emailed statement to Reuters. The Swedish regulators spokesperson remained tightlipped on finer details of the ongoing probe. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) on Thursday said it started questioning Tesla in September 2022 and asked the automaker to assess consumer complaints about lower rear control arms breaking on its Model S and X vehicles.

The Norwegian agency could recommend that Tesla recall the vehicles to replace the parts if it determines they pose a "serious risk." However, it could also close the review if there is no safety issue or decide to extend the investigation. Notably, the electric car maker has locked horns, with representatives of workers' unions in Sweden and its neighboring countries. The stand-off pits Tesla's CEO Elon Musk, known for his stand against unionism, against the strongly held labour ideals of Scandinavian countries.

None of Tesla’s workers anywhere in the world are unionized, raising questions about whether strikes could spread to other parts of Europe where employees commonly have collective bargaining rights — notably in Germany, Tesla’s most important European market.

(With Reuters inputs)