Teslas reportedly shipped early Model S cars with leaky battery packs

Tesla’s earliest Model S electric sedans shipped with a flawed battery back design that was prone to coolant leaks which could lead to fires, according to Business Insider. The report describes how the company appears to have cut corners on this particular part of the Model S, which Tesla was scrambling to ship in mid-2012 as it started to establish itself as a mass-market electric automaker.

The new report comes as Tesla was ranked last in JD Power’s annual study of new vehicle quality, and shortly after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced an investigation into early Model S touchscreen failures.

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