President Donald Trump has nominated Jonathan Morrison to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), bringing attention to Morrison’s past conflicts with Tesla. Morrison, who previously served as NHTSA’s chief counsel during Trump’s first term, could soon hold significant power over Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company.
In 2018, Morrison strongly challenged Tesla’s safety claims about its Model 3 sedan. The dispute began when Tesla published a blog post stating that the Model 3 had the “lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by NHTSA.” The company also shared similar messages on Twitter.
According to Politico, Morrison wrote to Musk saying that Tesla’s statements “could be interpreted as misunderstanding safety data, an intention to mislead the public, or both.” He also noted that Tesla had “disregarded” NHTSA’s guidelines in a way that may lead to consumer confusion and give Tesla an “unfair market advantage.”
Past conflicts show a pattern of safety claim disputes
This wasn’t Tesla’s first clash over safety claims. In 2013, the company faced similar issues when it claimed its Model S achieved a safety rating of 5.4, even though NHTSA’s rating system only goes up to five stars.
The 2018 dispute centered on Tesla comparing its vehicles to larger ones, which Morrison said was inappropriate. He explained that frontal crash test data couldn’t determine if a Model 3 would perform better in real-world collisions with heavier vehicles like SUVs, especially when there was more than a 250-pound weight difference.
Jonathan Morrison – NHTSA Administrator (Nominated)
— Scott (@Scott824672085) June 26, 2025
Role in Tesla FSD Oversight: As of February 2025, Morrison is President Trump’s nominee for NHTSA Administrator, pending Senate confirmation. If confirmed, he would oversee all NHTSA activities, including FSD investigations,…
Tesla defended its position through its lawyer, Al Prescott, who responded to Morrison, claiming the company’s information was “neither untrue nor misleading” and was “fair and objective.” However, the blog post in question appears to have been removed from Tesla’s website, though the related tweets remain visible.
Morrison later signed a subpoena in 2019 requesting data from Tesla about a Model 3 crash in San Ramon, California. If confirmed by the Senate, Morrison’s past experience with Tesla could influence his approach to regulating the company, particularly as it launches new ventures like its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, while Trump finds himself increasingly frustrated with Musk’s constant presence.
The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled Morrison’s confirmation hearing for next week, where his past dealings with Tesla may come under scrutiny. This nomination comes at a time when Musk’s relationship with Trump has become complicated, following their recent social media disputes and Musk’s exit from the administration, with their relationship deteriorating into what observers call a ‘lovers spat’.
