Tesla faces hefty fines after repeatedly failing to cooperate with police in criminal court: '[We] encountered a technical issue'

Tesla is facing the ire of the authorities once again. This time, it's for repeated failures in turning over paperwork on drivers' road violations.

What's happening?

The BBC reported that Tesla has been fined £20,686 ($28,164) for failing to identify drivers in at least 18 incidents in the United Kingdom. When a Tesla vehicle is leased long-term, the company is required to provide the driver's details to authorities when road violations occur.

It's seemingly become a long-term pattern for the auto brand to fall short. Nearly 4,000 defendants in England and Wales have been convicted of the crime over the last two weeks, per the BBC. The fines range from as little as £1 ($1.36) to £1,000 ($1,360).

In one case, South Wales Police couldn't identify a driver who was speeding at 80 mph on the M4 because Tesla Financial Services didn't provide the necessary information. 

Court documents revealed that Tesla admitted the charge, but company director Becky Hodgson said it had complied but "encountered a technical issue on the Online Plea Service portal" while entering the plea.

The courts haven't been buying that excuse.

Why are Tesla's repeated fines important?

There are real concerns that Tesla not identifying drivers could keep dangerous motorists on the road, as the BBC described. One driver was nabbed for speeding three times but remained unidentified to the police. Another went nearly 100 mph on the A3 highway.

More generally, Tesla's ongoing legal challenges could affect customer confidence as it rolls out features like Full Self-Driving to eventually guide autonomous vehicles. Working with law enforcement is important for consumer safety, especially as Tesla dips into new technologies.

While Tesla's apparent lack of cooperation with law enforcement in this case isn't as high-profile as many of its controversies, it does point to a concerning pattern across CEO Elon Musk's companies. That is ignoring the rules set by regulators or police and simply accepting the consequences after destructive violations.

What's being done about Tesla's lack of cooperation with police?

Prosecutors are continuing to enforce the law and can hopefully get the brand's attention with more costly litigation. By drawing attention to Tesla's shortcomings, the BBC also puts pressure on the brand to clean up its act, lest more customers take their business elsewhere.

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