Out of control Tesla speeds through Chinese streets, killing two people and injuring three others: Family member of driver, 55, says he had issues with brake pedal – but Tesla vows to find out the ‘truth’
- The incident took place on November 5 in Chaozhou city, which is located along Chinese coast just northeast of Hong Kong
- Footage showed a Tesla Model Y rocketing down the road at alarmingly high speeds, hitting numerous cyclists and drivers along the way before crashing
- The 55-year-old driver’s family told local news outlets that the car’s brakes were not responding when he stepped on the pedal
- Tesla confirmed it is looking into the ‘truth’ of the incident, noting that the car’s brake lights did not appear to turn on in the footage
- Elon Musk’s electric car company also said their data showed the car’s brakes were not engaged during incident
An out-of-control Tesla sped through the streets of a Chinese province, killing two and injuring three before it finally crashed into a building earlier this month.
Terrifying footage showed a white Tesla Model Y suddenly accelerating after the driver appeared to try to park the car, and then whipping at harrowing speeds through busy streets.
The family of the driver told local outlets that the 55-year-old man lost control of the car and that it would not respond when he stepped on the brake pedal.
Tesla said it was investigating the incident, but cautioned against ‘rumors,’ noting their data showed the car’s brake pedal was never engaged while it was speeding through town. In a statement to Reuters, Tesla said it was working with local authorities to identify the ‘truth’ of what led to the accident.
The wreck is just the latest in which the electric car company’s automatic features have been fingered as potential culprits.
The wrecked Tesla Model Y after it sped through city streets and collided into a storefront
The Tesla Model Y slams into a storefront at the end of its rampage, exploding in a cloud of dust
Footage of the incident showed a white Tesla Model Y pulling slowly into a roadside parking spot before suddenly launching back onto the road.
The car immediately bore down on a person on a motor-scooter, who the driver evaded before rocketing off down the road.
The Tesla could be seen to whip at dangerous speeds through busy town streets, violently knocking at least two people on bikes or scooters over as it tore by.
The car finally approached a busy intersection where it slammed into a small truck – scattering chunks of flying debris into at least two cyclists – and then collided in a cloud of smoke and dust into the side of a building.
Footage of the incident showed a white Tesla Model Y pulling slowly into a roadside parking spot before suddenly launching back onto the road
The car immediately bore down on a person on a motor-scooter, who the driver evaded before rocketing off down the road
The Tesla could be seen to whip at dangerous speeds through busy town streets, violently knocking at least two people on bikes or scooters over as it tore by
The incident took place on November 5 in Chaozhou city, which is located along the Chinese coast just northeast of Hong Kong. Jimu News said a motorcyclist and a high school girl were killed.
The outlet quoted traffic police as saying the cause of the incident had not been identified. Jimu News also quoted an unnamed family member of the driver who said the 55-year-old had issues with the brake pedal when he was about to pull over in front of his family store.
Tesla said on Sunday it will assist Chinese police in investigating the crash.
‘Police are currently seeking a third party appraisal agency to identify the truth behind this accident and we will actively provide any necessary assistance,’ Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker told Reuters in a message on Sunday, cautioning against believing ‘rumours.’
Tesla said videos showed that the car’s brake lights were not on when the car was speeding and that its data showed issues such as there being no action to step on the brakes throughout the vehicle’s journey.
The car finally approached a busy intersection where it slammed into a small truck
The collision scattered chunks of flying debris into at least two cyclists
The Tesla finally slammed into a storefront after barreling through a busy interesction
China is Tesla’s second-largest market, and the crash was among the top trending topics on the Weibo social media platform on Sunday.
Tesla has faced claims of brake failure in China before.
In its statement to Reuters, the company said a Chinese car owner had been ordered by a court to publicly apologize and compensate the firm after it ruled that comments he had made to the media about issues with his brakes were inconsistent with the facts and had harmed Tesla’s reputation.
Last year, another unhappy customer caused a social media stir by clambering atop a Tesla at the Shanghai auto show to protest the company’s handling of her complaints about malfunctioning brakes involved with a car accident.
In that instance, Tesla said speeding violations were behind her crash but promised to improve how it addressed customer complaints.
