[2021 Shanghai Auto Show] Tesla China “brake failure” protester ordered to post apology

[Hamartia Antidote]

Tesla China “brake failure” protester ordered to post apology

Tesla has won a lawsuit against a Chinese customer who had alleged that her Model 3 sedan suffered from brake failure.

www.teslarati.com

Tesla has won a lawsuit against a Chinese customer who had alleged that her Model 3 sedan suffered from brake failure. As per local reports, the court ordered the customer to publicly apologize to Tesla and pay damages.

The case stems from an incident in April 2021, when Ms. Li, a Tesla owner from Xi’an, Shaanxi province, alleged that her Model 3’s brakes failed and caused her to be involved in an accident. Li posted about the incident on social media, and during the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, she climbed on top of a Tesla Model 3 display unit with a “brake failure” t-shirt as a form of protest against the EV maker.

Li’s allegations sparked a wave of negative publicity for Tesla in China. The incident also caught widespread coverage among news agencies worldwide.

As per an appraisal by a court-appointed agency, the braking system of Li’s Model 3 was not faulty at all. The court ruled that Li’s statements about Tesla’s brakes were false and defamatory. Li was ordered to delete her social media posts, publicly apologize to Tesla, and pay RMB 2,000 ($280) in damages. She is also liable to pay RMB 25,390 ($3,554) in case processing fees and RMB 20,000 ($2,799) in vehicle appraisal fees.

This is not the first time that Tesla has been sued by a Chinese customer. In May 2020, Mr. Chen, a Tesla vehicle owner from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, drove his Model 3 into a dozen cars before coming to a stop. Chen then took to social media platforms to allege that his Tesla experienced unintended acceleration and brake failure. However, Chen later admitted that he had fabricated the account and apologized to Tesla.

“After the accident, I was upset even though I knew I had pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. I have been insulting and defaming Tesla Inc. and Tesla vehicles since mid-August 2020 by continuing to fabricate content on Douyin, Weibo, radio and TV interviews about Tesla’s automatic acceleration and brake failure, and about how to cherish life and stay away from Tesla,” Mr. Chen’s statement noted.

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So believe it or not I think she has some merit on the brake failure except back to the AutoPilot thing where there is a disclaimer that "you have to keep your hands near the wheel in case it doesn't work" is covering Tesla on this.

So Tesla mostly doesn't use traditional wheel brakes to stop. The regen kicks in and slows your car without the brakes being touched at all. So if you are driving 40 mph and let your foot off the accelerator your car will come to a stop just like the "bumper cars" in amusement parks. Not as suddenly though..maybe in 25 feet.

What Is One Pedal Driving?​

Well it should come to a stop.

But sometimes it doesn't (like if the battery is cold) and you have to be ready to hit the brake pedal yourself. I didn't read her lawsuit but maybe she is claiming the auto-braking didn't kick in and she ended up hitting something. Of course Tesla will be covered with their disclaimer as it also says you should enable the car to also use the brake pedals.

You have to keep an eye on whether the regen is disabled so you have to put yourself in regular "two pedal" mode driving if you don't like giving the car the ability to hit your brake pedals whenever it feels like it (like most people won't)

To enable or keep disabled...I think I will pass on allowing the car to apply my brakes.