A Tesla has caused a deadly accident in China: the "phantom braking" is back in the eye of the hurricane

On November 5, a Tesla Model Y that was driving in the Chinese province of Guangdong caused a fatal accident in which two people lost their lives and three others were badly injured. The terrible recorded images show how the car totally lost control and accelerated sharply instead of braking, and now Tesla China is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

Fatal accident. The video recorded by several traffic cameras shows how the Tesla begins to accelerate in an apparently uncontrolled way and ends up taking a small vehicle ahead of it and then crashing at full speed. In the two kilometers that it traveled at high speed, the car killed a motorcyclist and a young high school student.

?? | At least 2 dead and 3 injured in Guangdong, China, after a Tesla vehicle sped off while trying to park. pic.twitter.com/3InPJZocet

– Alert News 24 (@AlertaNews24) November 13, 2022

Tesla is investigating. Tesla division in China has indicated who is collaborating with Chinese police in the investigation. Company officials there stated that they were going to “actively provide any necessary help” and warned against believing “rumours”. The driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and the investigation is now focused on the vehicle.

What rumors? The accident occurs after several accusations that the Tesla’s braking system gave problems. There was an altercation at a car show in Shanghai for this reason, but in the United States there have been numerous complaints to the authorities of the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

phantom braking. In summer, those responsible for that organization they affirmed having received 758 complaints of so-called “phantom braking”. The company had to reverse a firmware update when a problem was detected in the so-called “Smart Braking System” that detected objects that were not there and automatically braked accordingly. Here the problem was rather the opposite… or so it seems.

Tesla says one thing… According to Tesla’s investigation, the driver failed to apply the brake when the car was out of control. They even indicate that according to the data they received on their servers, at a certain moment the accelerator pedal was being fully depressed. In previous criticisms for similar problems the company Indian that “there is no ‘unintended acceleration'” in their vehicles.

… the driver other. A relative of the driver of that Tesla Model Y claims that he had problems with the brake pedal when he wanted to stop to one side (at the beginning of the video). The car suddenly sped up and the driver apparently tried several times to engage the parking brake button, which are the only times the vehicle’s brake lights came on briefly. That family member was asking “who the hell steps on the wrong pedal for 1.6 miles straight?”.

Trouble for Tesla. China is the second most important market for Tesla, and this accident has made viral news on the Weibo social network. The firm’s reputation is affected again after the criticism it continues to receive for its Autopilot, a mode that the company has always associated with fully autonomous driving despite not being. Not long ago, the company had to return 112,000 euros to the German owner of a Tesla Model X due to problems with the operation of that section.