Tesla Model Y Loses Control in Guangdong, Two Dead and Three Injuries
A Tesla Model Y in Chaozhou, China’s Guangdong Province was recently suspected to have lost control while driving at a high speed for 2.6 kilometers, causing two deaths and three injuries. The maximum speed of the vehicle reached 198 km/hour.
According to a video circulating on Chinese social media, the white Tesla model suddenly accelerated after failing to pull over. Although the driver kept honking the horn and grabbing the steering wheel to try to avoid a collision, it finally hit two motorcycles and two bicycles.
On November 12, relatives of the Tesla driver posted on Weibo that the 55-year-old victim was a professional truck driver, and that the Tesla Model Y was a new car transferred from a friend in early November 2022.
When trying to park, the vehicle owner found that the brake pedal was difficult to step on, and did not stop the car successfully after starting the parking setting. After driving on a cement road to the left, the vehicle suddenly started to accelerate. Stepping on the brake pedal didn’t slow the vehicle, which eventually led to the tragedy. Surveillance videos show that the brake lights at the rear of the vehicle are suspected to have lit up many times, but the vehicle clearly didn’t slow down.
Family members of the victim also said that Tesla manufacturers had sent two staff members to the scene to investigate after the accident, but no definite statement has been given yet. The local traffic police responded that the accident is still under further investigation, but at present, the possibility of drunk driving and drug abuse has been ruled out.
In response to the incident, Tesla said that judging from existing videos, it can be seen that the brake lights did not light up for a long time during the high-speed driving of the vehicle. This is consistent with the situation reflected by the background data, which showed that the vehicle switch had been pressed for a long time and there was no stepping on the brake throughout the whole process. During driving, the driver briefly pressed the parking button four times, then quickly released it, causing the brake lights to light up and go out.
However, regarding Tesla’s reply, the driver’s relatives said that they reported to the company after the incident that they wanted to obtain relevant information about the vehicle, but they never received oral or written statements. Waiting for the appraisal results of the traffic police is the only solution now.
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Tesla’s Shanghai plant delivered 71,704 vehicles in October, up from the same period in 2021, but down from that in September 2022, according to the statistics of the China Passenger Car Association. However, accidents and recalls are also on the rise. Tesla has issued 17 recalls in 2022, involving 3.4 million vehicles. In addition, in July this year, Taiwanese singer Jimmy Lin had a car accident while driving a Tesla model, causing widespread concern.
