Tesla Driver Claiming Brake Failure Recalls Moments Leading to Fatal Crash

A Tesla driver involved in a fatal crash in southern China earlier in November said the vehicle's brakes failed to respond for more than a mile, but the American automaker suggested he didn't use them at all.

Chinese police said Sunday they were conducting further probes into the incident, which killed two people and injured three others in the county of Raoping, to the east of Chaozhou in Guangdong province, on November 5.

Chinese news site Jimu News identified the victims as a motorcyclist and a female high-school pupil, who were among several mown down by the Tesla Model Y, which reportedly reached speeds of 198 kilometers per hour (123 miles per hour) on the day.

Chaozhou authorities said they were seeking a third-party appraisal of the incident. Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker said it would "actively provide any necessary assistance," according to a company statement.

The crash was among the trending topics on Chinese social media over the weekend. Footage tweeted by state-owned Shanghai Daily showed the Tesla initially slowing down by the side of a one-lane road before it sped up once more.

The driver, identified in local papers by his surname Zhan, 55, avoided a number of other vehicles but collided with a cyclist and a three-wheeled cargo motorcycle before crashing into a storefront, the series of surveillance videos showed.

Warning: This video contains footage some viewers may find distressing.

In an interview published Monday, Zhan told central Chinese newspaper Dahe Daily that he had used Tesla's regenerative braking to slow down in front of his family store. When the car kept rolling, he stepped on the brake pedal, but it didn't stop the vehicle, Zhan said.

"I felt the car was malfunctioning, so I pressed the park button, but it began to accelerate," Zhan was quoting as saying. "Suddenly, I was racing ahead, and I tried the brakes repeatedly. There were others on the road. A motorcycle was ahead of me, so I swerved the steering wheel.

"Because I was a truck driver, I knew what to do if ever my brakes failed on a slope, so after I lost control of the car, I immediately began searching for an obstacle to crash into," said Zhan.

"I continued to try the brakes to see whether they would start working and stop the car," he said. "I was thinking about where to crash, but my reactions couldn't keep up with the speed."

Zhan told the paper he wasn't aware of whom or what he had struck along the way and eventually crashed after about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). Acquaintance at the store where he crashed helped him out of the wreckage, he said.

According to Jimu News, traffic police ruled out drunk-driving in a toxicology test but were still awaiting the independent assessment. Zhan's son told the news outlet that the Tesla Model Y was acquired new from a friend in November 2021.

Zhan told Dahe Daily that he felt movement in the brake pedal, but said it didn't slow or stop the vehicle when he applied it fully. He claimed he never used the throttle throughout the incident.

Tesla has contradicted Zhan's version of events. In statements to the Chinese press, the carmaker said the surveillance footage showed the vehicle's brake lights remained off, which it said was "consistent with backend data."

"The vehicle's electronic throttle was depressed deeply for long periods and held at 100 percent for a time," Tesla said. "There was no braking action during the whole process.

"Please also do not listen to rumors, and do not spread unconfirmed information," the statement read.

Raoping and Chaozhou police couldn't be reached for comment. Tesla didn't return Newsweek's request for comment.

China is Tesla's second-largest market after North America. Its Gigafactory in Shanghai—capable of manufacturing 1.1 million EVs per year—is its largest in terms of production size.

The factory makes Model 3s and Model Ys for the Chinese market and for exports to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.