Questions regarding the design and functionality of Tesla vehicles have been raised following a tragic incident involving Angela Chao, 50, a shipping magnate and the sister-in-law of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. Chao drowned after her Tesla automobile unintentionally reversed into a pond near Austin, Texas.

On February 11, Chao was performing a three-point turn when she accidentally shifted her vehicle in reverse instead of drive. As a result, the car toppled over an embankment and plunged into a pond. It was not the first time Chao had trouble with the vehicle’s gearshift system.

Chao was heading to her private 900-acre ranch in Blanco County, Texas, approximately 12 miles from Austin, after celebrating the Lunar New Year with friends.

Shortly after departing the party, Chao alerted a friend that her Tesla Model X SUV had ended up underwater in a pond. Unfortunately, by the time help reached the remote location, Chao had drowned.

Chao admitted to her friend that she mistakenly put her car in reverse instead of drive, a mistake she had previously made.

Details surrounding how Chao’s Tesla ended up in the pond have yet to be disclosed by the authorities. This has led to speculation by some, including J. Kyle Bass, a well-known hedge fund manager and the founder of Hayman Capital Management in Texas, who pondered whether the Tesla could have been hacked.

However, Texas authorities reported in March that Caio had been intoxicated at the time of her accident. A toxicology report showed that Chao had a blood-alcohol concentration of .233, the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office said in its report.

This level is almost triple the permissible threshold for operating a vehicle on public highways in Texas.

Security footage captured outside a visitor’s accommodation on the estate reveals she was seen moving “with instability towards her car” that evening, as stated in the document.

The incident triggered an in-depth review of Tesla’s gearshift design, which some drivers have found confusing and potentially hazardous. A search of the US Department of Transportation’s database shows 12 complaints specifically pertaining to difficulties with Tesla vehicles being accidentally placed in reverse. Seven of these complaints emphasize the gearshift’s confusing design, while five report vehicles unexpectedly shifting between drive and reverse.

This issue is not limited to a single model or incident. Tesla owners have voiced similar experiences of confusion and near accidents on forums. In 2022, a number of near-miss incidents due to gearshift confusion were reported by Tesla owners, pointing to a larger concern within the electric vehicle’s user community.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Tesla have faced criticism over these issues. Tesla’s gearshift mechanisms differ by model and year of production. Earlier models featured a stalk to the right of the steering wheel for gear shifting, a design some found counterintuitive. This design was replaced in models produced after 2021 with a touchscreen method for gear selection, which has also sparked complaints of being non-intuitive and causing minor incidents.

Besides gearshift confusion, Tesla has been widely criticized for its autopilot feature, especially regarding “phantom braking”, where cars spontaneously brake for non-existent obstacles. The NHTSA has started investigations into this issue after receiving over 700 complaints. Phantom braking has resulted in at least one death and several safety concerns from Tesla drivers and safety experts.

Tesla’s design philosophy, particularly its dependence on software and touchscreen interfaces for essential functions like gear shifting and vehicle control, has raised questions about user safety and the clarity of the vehicle’s operating systems. Despite these issues, Tesla continues to push the envelope with electric vehicle technology.

Discussions surrounding Tesla’s design decisions and the user experience they create are still underway. As electric vehicles become increasingly common on our roads, ensuring their safety and user-friendliness remains a top priority for manufacturers, regulators, and drivers.