TSLA Tesla Inc

U.S. regulators started probing possible suspension problems in Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S sedan and took the Silicon Valley electric car maker to task for allegedly using nondisclosure agreements that could discourage customers from reporting safety problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday said it had begun looking into the potential suspension problem, an initial step that could later lead the agency to open an official investigation should regulators be persuaded significant problems exist. Faulty suspensions could cause drivers to lose control of vehicles. The agency didn't suggest the vehicles are defective or suffer from widespread safety problems.

In addition, the U.S. car-safety agency expressed concern over apparent nondisclosure agreements under which Tesla allegedly offered to cover some costs for repairing affected vehicles so long as customers kept the problem to themselves.

"NHTSA is examining the potential suspension issue on the Tesla Model S, and is seeking additional information from vehicle owners and the company," the agency said in a statement. "NHTSA learned of Tesla's troublesome nondisclosure agreement last month. The agency immediately informed Tesla that any language implying that consumers should not contact the agency regarding safety concerns is unacceptable, and NHTSA expects Tesla to eliminate any such language."

Tesla representatives told regulators the company didn't intend to dissuade consumers from contacting them, the agency said.

Tesla is looking into the alleged suspension issue and hasn't yet found it to be a widespread problem, said a person close to the company. Tesla's agreement with customers aimed to keep them from discussing issues on internet message boards, but didn't intend to discourage them from talking with car-safety regulators, this person said.

Daily Kanban, an automotive blog, previously reported on the alleged Tesla suspension problems and the response from regulators.

The owner of a Model S reported on company owner forums in April that his left front assembly separated from the upper control arm after driving 70,000 miles. While the car's warranty has expired, such a problem is unusual for a vehicle with that amount of miles. He alleged that Tesla asked him to sign a "goodwill agreement" that forbid him from disclosing the problem more widely in exchange for the company covering some repair costs.

The suspension issue has separately been pushed by an Australian man who has alerted regulators to the alleged problem. He believes he discovered the problem by examining Tesla vehicles in various junk yards and by reading online forums.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 09, 2016 18:15 ET (22:15 GMT)

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