Tesla Model 3 Crash Convinced Elon Musk To Make Safety Upgrades

Presenting the first documented case of a totaled Tesla Model 3. The exact cause/circumstances of the crash are unknown, but as you can tell by the images provided by its owner, appropriately calling himself "Model_3_Cras_Dummy" on Reddit, there's not much left of the EV sedan. CNET's Roadshow first got wind of the incident not long afterward the owner's post, as did Tesla CEO Elon Musk. First off, there were only minor injuries; the owner/Redditor suffered a minor right food injury due to the gas pedal.

However, the front seat passenger's now lightly cut arm broke the infotainment screen. The broken screen also prevented the owner from opening the glove box where his insurance documents were located. Opening the glovebox can only be done by a functioning screen. Responding to the faulty glovebox and broken screen on Twitter, Musk wrote Tesla will be "Adding software feature to open glovebox automatically when car comes to a stop after a crash. Will look at bonding a thing plastic sheet to the front or back of screen." Both could potentially solve each issue, but obviously we won't know for sure until the fixes are in place and, of course, a future crash involving a Model 3 with those fixes.

To Tesla's full credit, its CEO responded swiftly and did not attempt for a moment to brush off either of the Model 3's newfound issues. Aside from Musk's remarks, no other Tesla officials have commented on the crash so far. Still though, Teslas have received top crash test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2017 Model S, for example, earned a top score in every category except for the small overlap front crash test. Roadshow believes the Model 3 glovebox issue can be resolved by an over-the-air update while the plastic sheet will require a trip to a Tesla dealer. Photos via Imgur courtesy of Reddit user Model_3_Crash_Dummy.