A man claims his mother’s abusive husband forced her to buy a Tesla so he could use the electric vehicle’s security features to track all her movements.
In a letter to The Barefoot Investor financial counsellor, the man said ‘abusers’ were benefitting from a Tesla app by accessing information about where the cars were being driven.
‘My mum has been trapped in a controlling marriage for a number of years, and the abuser recently forced her to swap her VW for a Tesla,’ he wrote.
‘Basically a giant camera on wheels.
‘He tracks where she goes, reviews the Tesla security footage, and can even see how many doors have been opened throughout the day.’
A man claims his mother’s abusive husband forced her to buy a Tesla so he could use the electric vehicle’s security features to track all her movements. Stock image
The man, Mick, said he had been trying to help his mother get out of the relationship, ‘and now she doesn’t even have the privacy of a car when she does pull the trigger to leave’.
‘So far Tesla and other manufacturers have resisted all attempts to make them accountable for the abuse they enable – what a bunch of grubs.’
Scott Pape, the Barefoot Investor, said he would give his own mother whatever she needed to get her out of such a relationship and used Mick’s letter to criticise Tesla’s multibillionaire CEO Elon Musk.
‘I didn’t think it was possible, but you’ve given me yet another reason to hate Elon Musk,’ he wrote.
‘The fact is, with so much of our life connected to device, it’s never been easier to stalk (or abuse) someone.’
Like many Tesla vehicles, the latest Model Y includes phone integration with the Tesla app that lets the driver unlock the car remotely from their phone.
The phone integration also lets the owner grant access to a second driver, who can remotely monitor the car from their phone too.
Through the Tesla app, drivers can track where a car is located, including whether it is on the road or parked
Through the Tesla app, drivers can track where a car is located, including whether it is on the road or parked.
They can unlock their car and put it in ‘sentry mode,’ which records via internal and external cameras, and even monitor what music the driver is listening to.
The car’s climate control system is also visible through the app, which means a spouse with access could see if someone was using the heat or air conditioning in a certain seat in the car.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tesla for comment.
The Barefoot Investor correspondent’s claims follow a Tesla owner who is cheating on his wife discovering his adultery could be revealed to his spouse in the vehicle’s app.
The man shared his findings online, noting in a Reddit post that his wife could theoretically see where he was driving, how fast he was going, where he parked the car, and whether someone else was in the vehicle with him.
While the cheater had not been caught, he told DailyMail.com he was warning of the risks ‘to make others aware.’
The post received more than 140 comments, with one Reddit user suggesting turning off the mobile connection or just denying his spouse access to the app – while others told the cheater he should be faithful to his wife.
Like many Tesla vehicles, the latest Model Y includes phone integration with the Tesla app that lets the driver unlock the car remotely from their phone
‘Tesla is KILLING my OPSEC,’ the adulterer wrote.
‘Opsec’ is the military intelligence shorthand for ‘operational security,’ meaning the steps you take to assure that an enemy will not find out your tactics.
The Redditor shared: ‘If you’re interested in buying a Tesla, just be aware that your partner can see your location on the Tesla app, as well as how fast you’re driving, if you’re parked, where you’re parked and even where you are in the fucking car with heat map in case you’re hoping to turn up the temperature in the backseat.’
‘Cars are getting too damn smart these days,’ he concluded.
The Tesla two-timer has not been caught because of the car’s features, but he recently noticed it was a possibility and decided to post about it to warn others in the ‘r/adultery’ subreddit.
‘I can’t say I was surprised. It is seriously loaded with tech features, but made me think it may not work for someone who needs more discretion,’ he told DailyMail.com.
As to whether he is someone who needs such discretion, he replied: ‘I don’t need it the same way I need water to drink, food to eat and air to breathe, but looking back I would prefer it.’
Going by Agitated_Sugar_7738, the poster said he is a man in his 40s who drives a 2024 Model Y.
One Redditor offered some advice to the cheating husband, saying he could turn off the mobile connection and blame technical problems.
And since many Tesla Supercharger stations are located at hotels, they could say they were just at a hotel because they needed to plug in.
The Tesla app can allow a spouse to remotely monitor the location and speed of their partner’s car, making them aware of any unexpected side trips
Tesla owners can activate ‘sentry mode’ remotely, which turns on cameras both inside and outside of the car
Tesla came under fire last year when whistleblowers revealed that the vehicles’ external cameras can capture video in people’s garages when the car was parked and charging.
Employees would share videos among themselves, receiving rewards and professional considerations for sharing the funniest clips.
‘We could see them doing laundry and really intimate things. We could see their kids,’ said the staffer. According to the report, the camera was able to record people’s lives because it was charging.
The post garnered lots of discussion on how to successfully cheat on your significant other with or without a Tesla.
‘Take the bus. Or an Uber. This is not a complicated problem,’ replied one commenter.
‘If you can’t figure out a solution on your own to this relatively minor issue (with an incredibly straightforward solution), then you’re not smart enough to have an affair. You will absolutely screw up somewhere or forget something obvious, and then get caught,’ they continued.
Others offered more tech-heavy solutions, suggesting that the car’s surveillance tech could be seen as a benefit to a would-be adulterer.
‘Also you can use it to your advantage,’ replied another commenter. ‘If [significant other] takes the car, with a bit of home automation [you] can get an alarm when they are driving back. Giving you plenty of free safe time at other location.’
Many commenters were not so solution-oriented: ‘That is YOUR problem entirely for choosing to imprison yourself with an easily surveillable vehicle,’ said one.
When asked whether he had taken risks with the car that he wouldn’t have if he’d known he’d get caught, the original poster told DailyMail.com: ‘I noticed before I got that far.’
As far as the responses from other people on Reddit, he was not surprised.
‘It’s the internet and especially Reddit so people are going to be more critical,’ he said.’
