Elon Musk suggests complaints about the Model S may have been fabricated

Tesla fiercely defended its Model S sedan today against complaints about its suspension system, and now its CEO says some of those complaints are bogus.

Elon Musk said in a series of tweets today that the vast majority — 37 of 40 — of complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding concerns with suspension systems in the Model S sedan appear to be fraudulent. Additionally, Musk says that the safety regulator found no safety concerns related to the car’s suspension system.

"[It] would seem to indicate that one or more people sought to create the false impression of a safety issue where none existed," said Musk in a tweet, adding that false location or VIN numbers were used in many of the complaints. If this report of falsified complaints is accurate, it raises significant questions about the origins of the suspension scandal.

NHTSA did not release any statement or data to corroborate Musk’s claims about fraudulent complaints, but it did say that Tesla had fully cooperated with its requests for information and that it had "not identified any safety issue with Tesla’s suspensions."

"NHTSA confirmed today that they found no safety concern with the Model S suspension," Musk tweeted. "And [they] have no further need for data from us on this matter."

Tesla said it had no comment beyond Musk's tweets.

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• SourceElon Musk (Twitter)