![China court clears Tesla of wrongdoing in fatal 2022 crash, influencer to pay RM 20k fine 01]()
Late last year, footage of a Tesla Model Y involved in a fatal crash on the eastern side of Guangzhou, China that killed two and injured three went viral. The accident was initially thought to be caused by the Model Y’s sudden acceleration which saw the electric SUV moving at high speed before crashing.
![China court clears Tesla of wrongdoing in fatal 2022 crash, influencer to pay RM 20k fine 02]()
The 55-year-old driver survived the crash and was quoted by local media as saying that the Model Y had a brake issue. Yet, data from the car’s recorder revealed that the accelerator was held at 100% in the 5 seconds before the crash while the brakes were never applied.
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Following the accident, a local Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) influencer claimed that the crash was caused by a malfunction in the Model Y, blaming Tesla for the crash. As a result, Tesla decided to sue the said influencer and a Chinese court ruled in favour of the American carmaker.
Also read: Fatal crash from sudden acceleration Tesla Model Y's black box contradicts CCTV footage, were the brakes applied?
![China court clears Tesla of wrongdoing in fatal 2022 crash, influencer to pay RM 20k fine 01]()
According to the Shanghai Securities News as cited by Bloomberg, a forensics investigations institute ruled out the possibility that the accident was caused by defects in the steering or braking system.
Following the court’s decision, the influencer was ordered to issue a public apology on their Douyin account and pay Tesla RMB 30,000 (~RM 20k) in compensation for reputational damage.
The Chinese ruling follows Tesla’s win in the first jury trial over a fatal crash in California that may involved the use of the Autopilot system. A 12-member jury cleared Tesla of wrongdoing over the 2019 crash that killed its driver and seriously injured two passengers.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
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