Tesla Motors Warns Model S and Model X Owners Hacks and Modifications Could Cause Injury, Hurt Brand

Tesla Motors filed its 2014 annual report with the SEC last week, which lists a variety of risks facing the company.

One significant risk: automobile owners may "hack" Tesla vehicles to modify performance, which could compromise vehicle safety systems, reports Business Insider.

"If our vehicle owners customize our vehicles or change the charging infrastructure with aftermarket products, the vehicle may not operate properly, which could harm our business," the annual report reads.

The company goes on to say that it is aware of customers who have customized their vehicles with after-market parts. It cites customers who have installed seats that elevate the driver so that airbag and other safety systems may not work properly. Wheel and tire changes, along with large speaker systems that could impact the vehicle's electrical systems, are listed as modifications that compromise driver safety.

Tesla Motors says it has not tested, nor does it endorse, such changes or products.

Worse yet, some hacks could cause electrocution. "In addition, customer use of improper external cabling or unsafe charging outlets can expose our customers to injury from high voltage electricity. Such unauthorized modifications could reduce the safety of our vehicles and any injuries resulting from such modifications could result in adverse publicity which would negatively affect our brand and harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results," the company says in the report.

The company suffered some bad press in November 2013 when three Model S sedans caught fire within a five-week period, adding credence to its concern that if a Model S owner rewired the stereo system it could result in a "Tesla disaster" headline.

There is little any automobile manufacturer can do about customers customizing with their rides, which Tesla Motors alludes to in its report.

The luxury electric automaker plans to deliver about 55,000 Model S and the anticipated Model X SUV vehicles in 2015, and if it succeeds, it would represent a 70 percent increase over 2014, reports Fortune.