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US EV maker Tesla has said that it will assist the Chinese police in investigating a crash involving a Model Y electric sedan, after it was reported in media that two people died and three got injured when the driver of the vehicle lost control. The incident took place on November 5 in the southern province of Guangdong, killing a motorcyclist and a high school girl, Jimu News reported, posting a video of a car driving at high speed crashing into other vehicles and a cyclist.
The news report informed that the police is currently seeking a third party appraisal agency to identify the truth behind the accident and Tesla has agreed to actively provide any necessary assistance. However, the EV maker cautioned against believing "rumours".
This is important to Tesla on many levels as China is the carmaker's second-largest market, and the crash was among the top trending topics on the Weibo social media platform. The cause of the incident has not yet been identified and an unnamed family member of the driver said the 55-year-old had issues with the brake pedal when he was about to pull over in front of his family store.
On seeing videos of the incident, Tesla said the car's brake lights were not on when the car was speeding and that its data showed issues such as there being no action to step on the brakes throughout the vehicle's journey.
Tesla has faced claims of brake failure in China earlier as well. Last year, at the Shanghai auto show, an unhappy customer caused a social media stir by clambering atop a Tesla to protest the company's handling of her complaints about malfunctioning brakes involved with a car accident.