Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk dances onstage during a delivery event for Tesla China-made Model 3 cars in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020./File Photo Tesla&

Consumer Reports drops 'top pick' rating for Tesla Model 3

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2021-05-28 09:30:08

Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk dances onstage during a delivery event for Tesla China-made Model 3 cars in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020./File Photo

Tesla's (TSLA.O) decision to drop radar sensors from two of its U.S. vehicles has cost it top safety ratings from a widely followed insurance industry group and the influential Consumer Reports magazine.

The move came a day after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Wednesday Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built after April 27 will no longer be labeled as having some advanced safety features after the automaker said it would transition to a camera-based Autopilot system.

"It is extremely rare for an automaker to remove safety features from a vehicle during a production run, even temporarily, but this isn't the first time that Tesla has done this," Jake Fisher, a senior director of Consumer Reports, said in a statement.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also plans to remove its highest safety designation for the Model 3 vehicles built after April 27, a spokesman said, adding it plans to evaluate Tesla's new system. read more