An engineer who worked on developing electric cars for Vietnamese Vinfast has been fired because he alerted the brand to serious defects in the cars.
Fired. That was the harsh consequence for an engineer who tried to warn about a potentially fatal flaw in electric cars from the Vietnamese car brand Vinfast.
The engineer, who was previously employed by Tata Group, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, among other things, had observed serious problems with the suspension and wheel suspension in Vinfast's cars.
These defects, he believed, could occur after just a few thousand kilometers of driving. Furthermore, they pose a significant safety risk to car owners.
This is reported by the BBC .
He therefore sent the warning higher up in the system but to no avail. According to the engineer, Tata Group was more concerned with avoiding the extra costs and delays that a redesign of the defective components would entail than with the safety of drivers.
Frustrated by the lack of action, the engineer resigned and got a new job at Jaguar Land Rover. But he couldn't let go of the thought of the potentially dangerous Vinfast cars.
When he continued to see reports of problems with the cars, he chose to share his concerns on the online platform Reddit.
However, this has had serious consequences for the engineer. He was fired from his job at Jaguar Land Rover and is now blacklisted in the industry, making it difficult for him to find new work at all.
– All cars have their problems, but I would familiarize myself with a Vinfast, and I wouldn't let my loved ones do it either, the engineer writes in a comment.
In the United States, traffic safety authorities have received 28 reports of safety deficiencies in Vinfast's cars.
A tragic accident in which a family of four lost their lives has also increased the focus on car safety. Neither Jaguar Land Rover, Vinfast nor Tata Group have wished to comment on the case or the firing of the engineer.
However, Vinfast states that they are cooperating with the American authorities in connection with the investigation of the safety problems.
