Five departments, including China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), recently interviewed Tesla, asking it to effectively protect the legal rights of consumers.
According to a statement published on the SAMR's website, the action was taken because consumers complained about abnormal acceleration, battery fires, and problems related to vehicle remote upgrades (OTAs) in Tesla vehicles.
The regulators asked Tesla to strictly comply with Chinese laws and regulations, strengthen internal management, and implement the main responsibility for corporate quality and safety.
Tesla was also asked to maintain social public safety and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
Tesla said that it will sincerely accept the guidance of Chinese government departments and reflect on the shortcomings in the operation process, and strengthen self-examination and self-inspection. In addition, Tesla will also strictly comply with Chinese laws and regulations and always respect the rights and interests of consumers.
Tesla said that the company is currently strengthening its internal work mechanism and processes and enhancing internal management under the guidance of the regulatory authorities.
With regard to the problems reflected by consumers, Tesla will effectively implement the protection of consumer rights and interests, maintain social public safety, and better contribute to the healthy development of China's new energy vehicle market in the future.
Tesla shares moved lower in the pre-market trading session on this news, with another 1% gain turning into a 1% loss.
Interestingly, however, a few minutes later Tesla announced its 10K filing that it expects to begin accepting bitcoin as a means of payment in the near future. The company said this will be subject to applicable laws and will initially be on a limited basis.
The company also said it invested $1.5 billion in bitcoin under a new policy.
A Tesla user in Nanchang reported experiencing a charging fault on January 26, which Tesla's after-sales claimed was caused by too much current from State Grid. Tesla apologized after State Grid Nanchang Power Company denied the fault.
Multiple users have experienced Tesla Model 3 diagnosed with rear motor failure, which could only be replaced with a brand new rear motor assembly, affecting the vehicle's value retention, and Tesla refused to explain the cause of the rear motor failure.
Tesla recalled some of the Model S and Model X exported to China because of hidden suspension problems, yet in a letter to the NHTSA, it stated that the damage was not a quality problem, but caused by abuse by some Chinese users.
Last November, Xinhua News Agency, a state-run press agency, published an article criticizing Tesla, saying that Tesla's practice of blaming Chinese users' habits and regulatory pressure was an arrogance not to be pampered.
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