NHTSA Complaint #11717589 — 2018 TESLA MODEL S

On February 11, 2026, at approximately 11:00 a.m., I picked up my Tesla vehicle from the Tesla Service Center located at 16955 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, Missouri following battery repair. After paying for the service and being told the vehicle was ready, I discovered in the parking lot that the hood was not latched and was misaligned. The hood had been opened during service. Prior to drop-off, the hood latched properly and securely. Releasing the vehicle in this condition created a significant highway safety hazard. At highway speeds, an unlatched hood can deploy and completely obstruct forward visibility, potentially resulting in a catastrophic collision. When I immediately reported the issue to service management, responsibility was dismissed and attributed to a prior front collision history, despite the hood functioning normally before service. The service center did not promptly correct the unsafe condition. I was forced to leave the premises, purchase mechanical tools across the street, and physically resecure/realign hinge hardware myself in order to safely operate the vehicle. I have preserved video documentation of the hood condition at the time of release, along with service records and receipts. This represents unsafe post-repair vehicle release and failure of final safety verification. I have video evidence of my vehicle after I paid $1170 service fee and inspected the hood not latching. It was too big to attach but I am more than willing to put on a flash drive and send. please call me and instruct where to send it. Thank you. [XXX] , concerned Missouri resident [XXX] cell INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)