NHTSA complaint #11689524

Owner complaint summary

Tesla has removed the turn signal stalks on some of their vehicles in favor of buttons on the steering wheel. While Tesla may argue that these buttons work fine, they are unsafe and they do not work in all driving situations (roads with multiple tight turns, roundabouts, etc). The buttons are also prone to sticking, which renders them inoperable. I have been pulled over due to failure to signal on a tight roadway in San Francisco, the officer did not write a ticket when he saw the design defect and advised that I remedy the issue with Tesla. I have also almost gotten into an accident several times in roundabouts because of failure to signal -- it was impossible to signal via the button on the steering wheel while in the roundabout. Tesla has acknowledged that this design is a safety issue and has brought back turn signal stalks on newly manufactured vehicles. Due to the immediate safety issue and Tesla having no retrofit available, I have purchased a 3rd party accessory that fixes the issue. The accessory is from a company called Enhance Auto and it is called "S3XY Stalks". It is a bluetooth enabled turn signal that connects to a device that is attached to the OBD sensor. This device works perfectly and it solves the safety issue. Tesla has refused to reimburse me in the amount of $522.50 for this turn signal device.