The $7 billion plant will eventually produce half a million S.U.V.s a year, the company said.
German authorities cleared the plant, which was built near Berlin, to open for production. Tesla plans to build 500,000 electric cars a year there.
Booming in a depressed market, battery-powered vehicles are a plus for the climate but pose a big threat to carmakers and parts suppliers that are slow to change.
The electric carmaker disclosed the new legal issues in its annual report to securities regulators, which was made public on Monday.
La enorme disparidad entre los resultados de la empresa de autos eléctricos y los de reconocidos fabricantes de carros el año pasado refleja el cambio tecnológico que sacude al sector.
The yawning disparity between the performance of the electric car company and established automakers last year reflects the technological change roiling the industry.
The electric-car maker managed substantial growth as Europe and China increasingly propelled sales.
The feature raises fresh questions about whether Tesla is compromising safety as it rushes to add new technologies.
The automaker may have undermined safety in designing its Autopilot driver-assistance system to fit its chief executive’s vision, former employees say.
The electric car company is helping Chinese companies become global players in the emerging industry, posing a competitive threat to traditional rivals.