Tesla is facing new claims of cars suddenly and inadvertently accelerating after several car accidents in China, particularly one recently that resulted in the deaths of two people and several injuries. According to Electrek, earlier this year, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is looking into claims that Tesla vehicles have a defect that leads to sudden and unintended acceleration. The agency had received a petition citing 127 incidents.
Over the years, several claims of Tesla’s sudden acceleration have come to light. The most publicized one involved a South Korean celebrity claiming his Model X accelerated on its own into his garage. However, in each case, including that one, Tesla claimed that the car’s log showed it was a user mistake due to pedal misapplication, meaning the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes.
Ongoing Investigation
In one instance, Electrek successfully obtained a third-party verification of Tesla’s log, which corroborated the automaker’s assertions that the log indicated the driver had depressed the gas pedal. After the NHTSA investigation, Tesla issued a statement saying there are no defects in its vehicles that caused unintended acceleration. Now, Tesla is facing a similar problem in China after a Model 3 ran into a crowd in Nanchong last week resulting in two deaths and six injuries. The Tesla ran out of control and crashed into multiple cars. Tesla is reportedly working with the authorities to determine what caused the accident.
But, since that crash, several other reports of unintended acceleration involving Tesla have emerged in China. Yicai Global reports that there have been four accidents involving out-of-control Tesla vehicles in China since June. In those accidents as well, Tesla has claimed the users were at fault. NHTSA has not yet released the results of its investigation.
Need For Continued Investigation
Considering the number of complaints that have piled up on this issue, it is important that NHTSA diligently continues its investigation to determine what is causing these sudden acceleration incidents. Sudden or unintended acceleration of vehicles poses risks to vehicle occupants and others on the roadway, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and operators of other vehicles. If you or a loved one has been injured due to these or other vehicles, an experienced auto defect lawyer in California can help you better understand your legal rights and options. You may be able to seek full and fair compensation for your injuries, damages, and losses.
Source: https://electrek.co/2020/09/10/tesla-fights-claims-cars-accelerating-deaths/
