Tesla has once again found itself in hot water after new claims surfaced of a Model 3 accelerating by itself in China. The most recent claim resulted in multiple injuries and two fatalities.
In January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received 127 claims of “sudden unintended acceleration” with Tesla vehicles, 110 involving crashes, and 52 with no injuries.
Following the NHTSA investigation, Tesla claimed that the petition with NHTSA was started by a TSLA short seller. The California-based automaker issued an official statement claiming that there are no defects in its vehicles resulting in unintended acceleration.
The newest claim in China comes after a Model 3 allegedly ran into a crowd on its own in Nanchong, resulting in six injuries and two deaths. A video of the moments following the incident surfaced on social media, viewer discretion is advised:
Tesla is reportedly working with the authorities find the cause of the acceleration whether it was due to user error or an actual defect. In lieu of the accident in Nanchong, other reports of unintended acceleration have surfaced. According to Yicai Global “There have been four accidents involving ‘out of control’ Tesla vehicles in China since June, each caused by an ‘unexpected acceleration’ of the auto.”
Although no results from the Nanchong investigation have been concluded, Tesla did release a statement in regards to other claims from June “The car maker has yet to accept these allegations. Data retrieved from the vehicle in Nanchang only showed signs of stepping on the accelerator and none of stepping on the brake Tesla China said. There were no brake slid marks on the road, suggesting that the driver accidentally stepped on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, it added.”