Tesla’s Model X came under scrutiny earlier this year in China after a crash that allegedly led to a series of unexpected events, jeopardizing the safety of its occupants even further. The car owner alleged that not only their Model X’s airbags did not deploy, but the car’s rear doors also failed to open. This, according to the allegation, led to severe driver injury and one of the passenger failing to escape the vehicle initially after the crash.
Later, it was found that the driver of the car had less than one year of driving experience, prompting the traffic police to draw the conclusion that the accident actually occurred due to driver negligence.
To recap the chain of events on that fateful day, one Ms. Lee and her companions were driving from Shenzen to Guangzhou. At approximately 11:50 am, along with the 8km northbound part of the expressway, the vehicle bumped into the center fence at 76kmph after the driver had lost control. Making things even worse, a Ford car also collided with the Model X at a speed of 71kmph.
According to the allegations, the Model X’s airbags didn’t deploy despite the 180-degree collision at high speed. Moments after the crash, the Model X started emitting smoke and caught fire awhile later.
Tesla, however, dismissed the tall claims of the vehicle’s owner citing that fire incidents are typically much more common in conventional vehicles. The main contention put forward by the owner was that a 70kmph collision was not severe enough for a car to catch fire. Of course, the point that the airbags didn’t deploy was also made. They further pointed out that these aspects of the crash had nothing to do with driver negligence.
“Our policy is to support evidence rather than succumb to the ultimatum, and we are seeking to prevent more sabotage through legal means.” Tesla responded to the allegations. However, not much is known about the company’s response regarding the failure of some of the vehicle’s safety features.