NHTSA reminds Tesla it didn�t receive a 5.4-Star crash rating

Just earlier this week, Tesla received praise when it released a statement bragging that its Model S received a 5.4-Star crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Turns out, however, it didn’t.

Here’s what the Tesla release said: “NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers, where the Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4 stars.”

Here’s what the NHTSA said in response on its website: “NHTSA does not rate vehicles beyond 5 stars and does not rank or order vehicles within the star rating categories. In addition, the agency has guidelines in place for manufacturers and advertising agencies to follow to ensure that accurate and consistent information is conveyed to the public.”

Essentially, this is the NHTSA’s polite way of reminding Tesla that it A.) Didn’t get a 5.4 rating and B.) Should review the NHTSA guidelines surrounding the citing of its ratings.

Clearly, receiving 5 Stars and breaking some of the testing equipment wasn’t enough for Tesla, it had to go ahead and publish a 5.4-Star rating