The investigation was initiated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), after Henkes’s complaint against the former employer back in 2019. The former Tesla manager claims he raised the issue of user safety due to defects in solar panels produced by Tesla subsidiary SolarCity, after which he was fired.
He also claims that Tesla’s management deliberately hid from shareholders and government agencies the fact that the solar panels have defective connectors, which could cause the devices to ignite. Officially, Tesla only announced the need for preventive maintenance to avoid a malfunction.
