Tesla Model 3 in Shaoxing Allegedly Accelerates to 110 km/h Due to Brake Failure, Owner Blames Electronic Control System

In 2024, a traffic accident involving a Tesla Model 3 occurred in Shangyu District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. Mr. Qin, the vehicle owner, was driving home when, approximately 50–60 meters before reaching a traffic light at the exit of Sanyuan Bridge, he pressed the brake pedal. Instead of slowing down, the car suddenly accelerated, eventually veering off the right-turn-only lane at around 110 km/h. It swerved around an electric scooter, scraped against a construction barrier for over 30 meters near a subway worksite, and finally came to a stop after colliding with a parked vehicle. The crash totaled the car. The incident took place at approximately 3:47 p.m. that day. Surveillance footage showed the vehicle’s brake lights remained illuminated continuously before it ran through the intersection, briefly turning off twice afterward. Mr. Qin’s Model 3 was a new vehicle purchased in September 2022, with just over 10,000 kilometers on the odometer at the time of the crash. Notably, he had purchased compulsory traffic insurance (CI) at 3:30 p.m. the same day, but the policy was scheduled to take effect half an hour later—meaning the vehicle was uninsured at the time of the accident. Mr. Qin, who has over two decades of driving experience, stated he had not activated the car’s single-pedal mode at the time of the incident. He questioned whether there was a malfunction in the vehicle’s electronic control system, suggesting that braking input might have been erroneously transmitted as an acceleration command. After reporting the issue to Tesla, he received feedback indicating that backend data showed “driver error,” implying he had mistakenly pressed the accelerator. Mr. Qin disputes this conclusion and is demanding compensation from Tesla for his losses. Tesla’s customer service responded that they could only provide data access and refer the matter to a local store for follow-up, but the store has yet to offer any further response. Public records show that in May 2023, Tesla recalled more than 1.1 million vehicles in China due to safety concerns.