Tesla Wins Another Legal Battle As Chinese Court Dismisses Faulty Model Y Claims In 2022 Crash

A Chinese court has absolved Tesla Inc. TSLA of blame in a 2022 accident that resulted in two deaths and three injuries, according to the Shanghai Securities News.

Tesla had filed a lawsuit against a social media influencer who claimed that the crash, which occurred in November 2022, was due to a faulty Model Y, Bloomberg reported. A forensics investigations institute determined that the accident was not caused by defects in the vehicle’s steering or braking system, the court document revealed.

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The social media influencer, a prominent figure on Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of Tiktok, was directed by the court to issue a public apology and pay Tesla a compensation of 30,000 yuan ($4,100) for defamation.

This favorable ruling for Tesla follows another recent victory in the company’s first jury trial over a fatal crash in California potentially involving their Autopilot system. A 12-member jury exonerated Tesla, bolstering the credibility of its driver-assistance technology, a critical component of CEO Elon Musk’s electrification strategy.

The Chinese accident involved a Model Y owner who stated that the vehicle accelerated to a speed of 102 miles per hour (164 kilometers per hour) and could not be stopped, causing a collision with other vehicles and pedestrians. The vehicle eventually halted after crashing into buildings, as evidenced by surveillance footage.

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Tesla Model Y. Photo via Shutterstock