US carmaker Tesla said on Sunday it would help Chinese police investigate an accident involving one of its Model Y cars, after reports in local media said two people died and three were injured when the driver lost. vehicle control.
The November 5 incident in southern China’s Guangdong province killed a motorcyclist and a student, reported Jimu News, which posted a video of a speeding car colliding with other vehicles and a cyclist.
“Police are currently looking for a third-party assessment agency to identify the truth behind this accident, and we will actively provide any assistance needed,” electric vehicle maker Elon Musk told Reuters in a message on Sunday, warning against believing “rumors”.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market, and the crash was among the top trending topics on social media platform Weibo on Sunday.
Jimu News quoted traffic police as saying the cause of the incident in Chaozhou City had not been identified, and an unnamed family member of the driver who said the man, 55, had problems with his brake pedal as he was about to to pull over in front of the family store.
Tesla said videos showed that the car’s brake lights were not on when the car was speeding and that its data showed problems such as no action being applied to the brakes during the vehicle’s journey.
Calls to police in Raoping, the municipality where the accident took place, went unanswered on Sunday.
Tesla has faced brake failure complaints in China before.
In its statement to Reuters, the company said a car owner was forced by a court to publicly apologize and compensate the company after the court ruled that comments he made to the media about problems with his brakes were inconsistent with the facts. and damaged Tesla’s reputation.
Reuters could not immediately verify Tesla’s claim.
Last year, a disgruntled customer caused a stir on social media when she climbed onto the roof of a Tesla at the Shanghai Auto Show to protest the company’s handling of her complaints about faulty brakes involved in a car accident.
In that case, Tesla said speed violations were behind the crash, but promised to improve how it handles customer complaints.
Translated by Luiz Roberto Goncalves
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