A Tesla employee was injured at the Fremont car factory on July 22, 2023, when a FANUC robot’s arm released without warning, causing an 8,000-lb counterbalance to fall. The employee, Peter Hinterdobler, has sued both Tesla and FANUC for $51 million in damages. Peter claims that he was assisting a Tesla engineer during maintenance/repairs when the incident occurred.
Peter alleges that Tesla failed to provide adequate training on safety protocols, particularly regarding lockout/tagout procedures. He also claims that FANUC’s instructions were not followed correctly by Tesla employees, leading to the accident.
Industry veterans have commented on the lawsuit, stating that Peter should have followed safety instructions strictly and noting that the incident may be a workers’ compensation claim rather than a case related to robotics controls or safety interlocks. However, others argue that Tesla is at fault for not providing adequate training and using proper fixtures during maintenance/repairs.
The case highlights concerns about workplace safety at Tesla factories, particularly when working with industrial robots. While FANUC has strict safety procedures in place, the incident suggests that more can be done to prevent such accidents.
Note: I removed some of the extraneous comments and focused on the main points of the article to simplify it while maintaining the essential information.
Source: https://www.teslaoracle.com/2025/09/30/tesla-tsla-engineer-comments-on-the-51-million-lawsuit-over-robot-accident-at-the-fremont-factory