Tesla Is Not Guilty: Another Owner Admits to Lying that Faulty Brakes Caused Accident

A Tesla car was found not guilty in an accident that occurred in China. Another owner admitted that he lied and fabricated the facts, blaming the car's faulty brakes for a severe accident.

In 2020-2021 in China, Tesla faced a wave of brake failure allegations that led to crashes. The scale of the lie forced the manufacturer to open a special legal department that dealt with the exposure of liars in such cases. Since then, Tesla's Chinese customers have stopped lying on such a scale, and those who have already harmed the manufacturer now face the consequences.

A number of influential people on social networks have already stated that, by blaming Tesla cars for malfunctions, these false accusers were misleading their followers, and have since made a public apology to the manufacturer. Other owners have faced lawsuits, some of which have already been settled in favor of Tesla.

One of the most famous accidents that has become widely known around the world involved a car owner in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. The accident occurred on August 12, 2020, when a Model 3 driven by owner, Mr. Chen, lost control and crashed into a dozen cars. A few days later, he posted several videos claiming that the accident was caused by the sudden acceleration of the Tesla car and the failure of its brakes.

However, the owner has now publicly apologized and admitted he fabricated the charge, according to CnEVPost. A related statement was posted on Chinese social networks on May 9. Mr. Chen admitted that he made his initial statements to discredit Tesla.

“After the crash, I was upset even though I knew I had pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake,” the statement posted on Monday said.

“I insult and defame Tesla Inc. and Tesla cars since mid-August 2020, continuing to fabricate content on Douyin, Weibo, radio and TV interviews about Tesla auto-acceleration and brake failure, and how to value life and stay away from Tesla."

In 2020, immediately after the accident, the owner admitted that he himself pressed the accelerator pedal and did not apply the brakes, but later began to claim otherwise. In October 2020, the results of the examination of the car showed that, before the collision, the brake pedal of the car was in a state where it was not pressed. On October 27, 2020, the traffic police determined that the owner of the car should bear full responsibility for the accident. In May 2021, an investigative report released by the Wenzhou Automotive Engineering Society revealed that data confirmed that the owner mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal. In October 2021, a local court in Wenzhou issued a verdict showing that the owner was found guilty of damaging Tesla's reputation and was required to apologize to Tesla at Douyin and pay damages of RMB 50,000 ($7,750).

“The case entered into force in March of this year after the first and second trials. The verdict found that I have damaged Tesla's reputation and must apologize to Tesla and pay financial damages,” the statement said.

“I now recognize the nature of my actions and regret the significant negative impact I have had on Tesla Inc. and Tesla vehicles,” said Mr. Chen. He added: “I sincerely apologize to Tesla and to those who were misled by my comments.”

“I also hope that Internet users will be astute and truthful and will not be blinded by their own selfishness and the coercion of others,” said Mr. Chen. He claimed that he was contacted by other owners who are preparing a class-action lawsuit against Tesla, but he refused to take part in it.

© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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