Tesla owner Rajesh Randev claims he was able to unlock and drive a stranger’s car, simply through his mobile app. He explains that he did not realize his mistake right away, but that he had no problem getting into the vehicle. Enough to ask new questions about the safety of the manufacturer’s cars.
These are not the accusations around the safety risks of Tesla cars that are missing, but today’s one is unprecedented. Between investigations into the true effectiveness of Autopilot and the most recent ones about the steering wheel coming off issue, this incredible new story falls at the worst time for the manufacturer. Still, there is plenty to worry about.
It all started last week when Rajesh Randev, a Tesla owner in Vancouver, drove to his car to pick up his kids from school. In a hurry, he does not exactly pay attention to the vehicle towards which he is heading, which resembles his own almost perfectly and which, in any case, unlocks normally through the app. Problem: it’s not his car.
He grabs someone else’s Tesla using only the app
Rajesh begins to take notice of the situation when he sees an impact on the windshield, which he was unaware of. He calls his wife, who assures him that she doesn’t know any more than he does. Some time later, he ends up receiving a mysterious message from a strangerwriting: “Hi Rajesh, do you drive a Tesla? »
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This is the real owner of the car. Both realize as they drive, except for a few details, exactly the same vehicle. The real owner realized the mistake on his way to Rajesh’s car, which contained a piece of paper with his phone number on it. “I was surprised to find that I was able to drive someone else’s car, by mistake, for an hour and a half while he had his car in his hands”, says the latter.
Rajesh then attempted to contact Tesla to clear up the matter. At present, this one still didn’t get a response. It is therefore difficult to say whether this is a bug in the application or not, which would supposedly open cars similar to his. Let’s hope that the manufacturer is quick to answer this question or, failing that, to patch this gigantic security breach.
Source: Global News