Tesla wins case in China over crash, accuser punished

Key Points

• 🚗 Tesla wins a case in China related to a 2022 accident where an influencer accused a Model Y of causing the crash.
• 💰 The influencer is required to pay a fine and publicly apologize to Tesla for reputational damage.
• 📉 The crash involved the Model Y accelerating to around 100 miles per hour, with the driver claiming they couldn’t stop the vehicle.
• 🕵️ Forensics investigation ruled out malfunctioning brakes and steering as the cause of the accident.
• 🇺🇸 Tesla was also cleared of a significant case in the U.S. involving Autopilot’s responsibility for a fatal crash.

Tesla has won a case in China regarding a 2022 accident that took the lives of two people and injured three others after the accuser made claims that the Model Y they were driving was responsible for the crash.

The person, who is a social media influencer, will be required to pay a fine and apologize publicly to Tesla, according to a report from Bloomberg.

In 2022, a Model Y crashed after it accelerated to roughly 100 miles per hour (164 km/h), with the driver claiming they were not able to get the all-electric crossover to come to a complete stop. The car crashed violently into buildings on the side of the street, which finally stopped it from moving.

The influencer claimed the vehicle was “malfunctioning,” according to the report. However, a forensics investigation ruled out a malfunctioning braking system, and no defects in steering were found, either.

Earlier this month, a jury of 12 members found Tesla not responsible for any wrongdoing in the case, and the influencer, who has a following on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, was required to post a public apology on their account and pay the automaker a sum of 30,000 yuan, which equates to roughly $4,100.

The fine and apology are “compensation for reputational damage.”

This is far from the first time that Tesla has been accused of selling malfunctioning vehicles in China, only for a jury to decide the driver was at fault and their punishment being a public apology and a fine to compensate for the damage they may have caused to Tesla’s reputation.

Earlier this month, Tesla was cleared of a groundbreaking case in the U.S., where the plaintiff claimed Autopilot was responsible for a fatal crash.