Tesla released crash data after woman sued company following crash from ‘break failure’ with parents inside
While Tesla continues to boast about its safety record and how it’s one of the ‘safest’ car brands in the world, it’s also known to grab headlines with worrying reports of electrical malfunctions leaving people trapped inside and runaway vehicles crashing into other cars and then driving off.
Tesla maintains its safety record, and if anyone knows that more than the rest of us, it’s Zhang Yazhou.
As reported by the Associated Press, Yazhou was involved in an incident with her Tesla Model 3 in 2021. The outlet explains how Yazhou was traveling as a passenger in the Model 3 while driving in central China’s Henna province. According to her, she was with her father, mother, and niece, when a February 2021 accident apparently had her father shouting, “The brakes don’t work!”
Yazhou tried to sue Tesla for defamation and invasion of privacy (Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor via Getty)
Although Yazhou and her niece were unharmed, medical records show that her parents were sent to the hospital. Traffic police claimed the fault was on Yazhou’s father, but with her adamant that it was a malfunction, she took things further.
When Tesla refused to release the crash data, she went to protest outside a dealership in Zhengzhou with her damaged vehicle, then parked up at an auto show in Zhengzhou, and finally stormed a Shanghai auto show after mediation went nowhere.
Donning T-shirts that said ‘Brakes fail’ and heading to the Tesla booth at the Shanghai auto show, Yazhou admitted things ‘escalated’ before she was arrested.
Footage of Yazhou being escorted from the show went viral on Chinese social media, and in response to the incident, a Tesla executive said she had someone ‘behind her’ – speculating that a competitor or the Chinese government sent her.
She sued Tesla for defamation but found herself on the sharp end of her own defamation case from the EV Goliath. Tesla accused Yazhou of deliberately trying to harm the brand and asked for
5 million yuan ($684,000) in damages.
AP writes how an emotional protest from Yazhou and pressure from regulators saw Tesla eventually release the crash data. Inside, it suggested that her father had been driving at 120 km per hour (75 mph) and that the brakes had “functioned to reduce the magnitude of the collision.”
Maybe it is time to do so
Honestly @elonmusk should consider suing outlets who framed the story like this. These headlines are sabotaging @Tesla’s brand by making people think it caught on fire. There’s about 1 Tesla fire for every 130 million miles traveled. Other cars have 1 every 18 million miles.
Despite Yazhou seemingly getting what she wanted, Tesla is accused of publishing her vehicle identification number, which she says led to her and her family being doxxed.
Bringing forward a second case for invasion of privacy alongside her earlier defamation claim, Yazhou lost both in March 2022.
With Zhang unable to prove the brakes had failed, a Shanghai court ruled against her in May 2024 and ordered her to pay 170,000 RMB ($23,000) to cover the damages and legal costs to the company which is worth $1.1 trillion.
The case is currently in appeal, but with the AP reiterating that it’s found examples of Tesla winning 11 cases against it, one settling out of court, and two in appeal (including Yazhou’s), the odds are stacked against her.
Even though no cases have been brought forward by Tesla in the USA, CEO Elon Musk said “maybe it is time” it starts suing media outlets for negative coverage.
Featured Image Credit: Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty
Woman whose Tesla crashed after ‘brakes stopped working’ ordered to pay damages and apologize to $1,100,000,000,000 company
A number of drivers have reportedly been sued by Tesla for defamation
There are continued questions about the safety of ever-advancing car community, and while Tesla boasts that its “vehicles are engineered to be the safest cars in the world,” there have been several concerning headlines about crashes and fatalities.
One incident showed a wrecked Cybertruck where everyone miraculously survived, suggesting that Tesla vehicles are at least living up to their safety promises in terms of design.
However, if a car is genuinely at fault, you might expect a company to hold its hands up and admit wrongdoing.
One Tesla owner involved in a crash was forced to pay the electric vehicle giant and apologize to the $1.1 trillion company.
As reported by the AP, Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of her Tesla Model 3 when she heard her father shout that the brakes weren’t working as they were heading toward a red light.
While not the biggest, Tesla is an EV giant in China (Xiaolu Chu / Stringer / Getty)
With Yazhou’s father swerving, he hit an SUV and a sedan before smashing into a concrete barrier.
Traffic police said that the crash was the fault of Yazhou’s father because he hadn’t kept a safe following distance from the vehicle in front, but she maintained that it was an issue with the brakes.
After filing a complaint with a local market regulator and asking Tesla for the crash data, she also requested a refund and compensation. She says that Tesla refused and explained: “Tesla’s employees were very arrogant and tough in dealing with my complaints. I was burning with anger.”
After being hit with radio silence, Yazhou parked her damaged car in front of a Tesla dealership in Zhengzhou and draped it with a banner that said, “Tesla brake failure.” While sitting on the roof, she says she picked up a megaphone and shouted: “Tesla Model 3 brakes failed. A family of four almost died.” This was followed by her parking her damaged Model 3 outside an auto show in Zhengzhou the following month.
The scorned Yazhou and several others stormed a Shanghai auto show in April 2021, but after going viral on social media, a Tesla executive claimed that she was acting on behalf of a competitor or the Chinese government.
Although Yazhou tried to sue Tesla for defamation, she found herself on the other end of a defamation suit from the car company…and lost. As well as being ordered to issue a public apology, Yazhou was told to pay the EV company over $23,000 in damages.
Zhang Yazhou maintains that Tesla is at fault (Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor via Getty)
Tesla eventually released the crash data, showing that her father had been driving at around 120 km per hour and that the brakes had functioned correctly.
Still, AP adds that Tesla has sued six car owners in China – all apparently for complaining about mechanical failures or vehicle malfunctions.
More than this, the outlet claims that at least six bloggers and two Chinese media outlets have been successfully sued. Out of the 11 cases AP could account for, the Chinese courts always found in Tesla’s favor. At the time of writing, Yazhou’s and another case are on appeal while another was settled out of court.
Even as Yazhou’s appeal rumbles on, the odds are stacked against her. She remains defiant, telling AP: “I refuse to accept it. As a consumer, even if I said something wrong, I have the right to comment and criticize. I spoke about my feelings as a user of the car. It has nothing to do with damaging their reputation.”
UNILAD Tech has reached out to Tesla but hasn’t received a response at the time of writing.
Featured Image Credit: Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor / Getty
YouTuber claims Tesla ‘stole’ $4,975 from him after waiting 8 years for his car to be released
He’s still waiting to get behind the wheel of his new Roadster
A YouTuber has claimed Tesla ‘stole’ from him as he tries to get his money back 8 years after ordering his Roadster.
There’s an apparent ‘dark truth’ lurking beneath the bonnet of Tesla, as one car fanatic claims the car company stole nearly $5,000 from him while he’s had to wait eight years to get behind the wheel of his new car.
Tesla has been in the news a lot recently, and whether it be controversial CEO Elon Musk being accused of pulling off a ‘Nazi gesture’ or worries that President Donald Trump could jeopardize its profits, it’s a strange time to be a Tesla owner. Don’t worry, some are taking their frustration out with bumper stickers.
Now, car collector Mark McCann has taken to YouTube in an attempt to recover his missing $4,975 from Tesla. McCann is known for having one of the most diverse car collections in the United Kingdom, but unfortunately, one is missing.
Tesla is still taking reservations on the second-generation Roadster (Tesla)
After the original Tesla Roadster went out of production in 2012, there was much surprise when the EV giant announced the second generation Roadster in 2017. This four-seat version was expected to take the Roadster name into the future, but eight years later, there’s still no sign of the second-generation Roadster. This is clearly a point of contention for McCann, who put down a $5,000 deposit as soon as it was revealed.
As the Roadster still isn’t in production, McCann says he’s requested his money back multiple times.
He says that when Tesla or any other car manufacturer announces a limited edition vehicle with low numbers, it’s best to get in early to place your deposit. Whereas Lamborghini requires you to go into a dealership and build a rapport before placing an order, Tesla makes it as easy as clicking a button. Also, Lamborghini and the like give a firm release date and make it easy for you to request your deposit back if you change your mind.
McCann explains that while he originally hoped to get his new Roadster in 2020, months went by following his 2017 deposit without a word from Tesla. When Tesla asked for another £34,000 reservation payment (around $42,000 in 2025), he decided to withdraw from the sale and ask for his initial deposit back.
Despite being told he’d get his money back, there was radio silence until he was asked for the full payment for the Roadster Founders Edition in 2021. This was a whopping £185,000/$230,000.
The problem is, McCann says that the Bank of England rates suggest that £185,000 from 2017 is now worth just £141,000 in 2025.
Hoping to resolve the matter, he headed to a dealership in 2025 and asked when the Roadster was coming. The salesman behind the counter said he didn’t know, and although McCann got a call from head office, he still hasn’t got his money back.
He says he’s not the only one in this situation, with many others asking where their second-generation Roadsters are and if they’ll ever get them.
Musk himself has addressed the ‘long-suffering’ Roadster community and asked them to wait just a little longer. In an October 2024 investors call, he blamed a push toward a sustainable energy future for the Roadster’s delay, referring to it as a ‘desert’. Still, he remains hopeful that the car will be on your driveways in 2025, concluding: “Thank you to all our long-suffering Tesla Roadster deposit holders, we are actually finally making progress on that, and we’re close to finalizing the design. It’s really going to be something spectacular.”
There are rumors of Roadsters being able to fly, but for those left in the dark, they think it’s more likely that pigs will fly before second-gen Roadsters.
Featured Image Credit: Mark McCann / YouTube
Elon Musk sued British television company for $171,000 over one bad Tesla review
It helped shape the Tesla we see today
As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk has made quite a name for himself. With more money than most of us could ever spend, you’d be wise to try not to get on Musk’s bad side in terms of legal matters. Let’s be honest, he’s got the money to sue you into oblivion.
The Tesla CEO has proved this time and again, with the likes of his ongoing custody battle with Grimes, arguments with Twitter staff over severance pay, and offering to fund Gina Carano’s lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company for her termination from The Mandalorian.
Musk proved he wasn’t to be messed with when Tesla tried to sue the BBC over a 2008 episode of Top Gear. The famous car series was at its peak back then, with then-lead host Jeremy Clarkson reviewing the Tesla Roadster.
Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear got into hot water with Tesla in 2008 (BBC)
Released in 2008, the Tesla Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise chassis and grabbed headlines as the first highway-legal, all-electric car that used lithium-ion battery cells. Clarkson praised the Roadster’s acceleration and handling by calling it ‘biblically quick’, but claimed that it suddenly ran out of charge after just 55 miles. There’s even footage of the production crew pushing the Roadster back to the garage, although Tesla claimed that’s not what happened at all.
Tesla engineers reviewed the footage and claimed that the car’s logs proved it never dropped below 20% charge. The brake failure was apparently a blown fuse, but as the controversy rumbled on and major outlets started to report on it, the BBC released the following statement: “The tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge.
“Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla’s performance on the day it was tested.”
Clarkson wrote a blog entry for The Times and referred to filming as ‘muddy’, while reruns continued to be aired without editing. Tesla also said that the script was written before filming had happened, suggesting the issues were created for production.
The $171,000 lie that could have killed Tesla: Top Gear, the world’s biggest car show, faked a negative review of the Tesla Roadster. Most companies would have stayed quiet. Tesla chose war. Here’s the full story:
Tesla sued the BBC for libel and malicious falsehood in March 2011, saying it had lost $171,000 in sales, also launching the TeslaVsTopGear.com. website. When it headed to the High Court, Judge Martin Moore-Bick sided with the BBC and said that no one watching the series would think it’s a real-world representation of Tesla because it’s an ‘entertainment’ series. Tesla appealed, but as things went to the Court of Appeal, a three-judge panel upheld Moore-Bick’s decision and ordered Tesla to pay the BBC’s $ legal costs of £100,000 ($172,000 in today’s money).
Despite the loss, this David vs Goliath case is actually thought to have helped the young electric vehicle company. As well as exposing how some car reviews might not be genuine, it also sparked the debate on electric cars and the future of driving. With Tesla doubling down on transparency and releasing performance data, it also asked independent testers to verify claims and grew into the EV giant we see today.
Featured Image Credit: Chris Unger/Contributor / Dan Kitwood/Staff / Getty
Angry Tesla owners are applying regret stickers with savage message onto their vehicles
The Tesla community is speaking out
Some Tesla owners are not happy with boss Elon Musk, with some applying stickers to their vehicles to show their distaste.
Few people seem to be quite as Marmite as Elon Musk, with it either being a case of loving or loathing the world’s richest man. From his early days of making $175.8 million when PayPal was sold to eBay in 2002, it’s been an upward trajectory for Mr. Musk.
Alongside his roles in founding SpaceX and controversially buying Twitter before turning it into X, he’s known as the CEO (but not founder) of Tesla – helping put electric vehicles on the map.
We’ve come a long way from the Tesla Roadster, and these days, we tend to associate the futuristic and tank-like Cybertruck with the EV company. Musk shows no signs of stopping his plans of being an automotive Willy Wonka, unveiling the Cybercab and Robovan in October 2024.
It’s clear that not all Tesla owners are a fan of the company CEO (Pool / Pool / Getty)
Outside the world of his business endeavors, a lot of Musk’s controversy comes from his views online and more into the political sphere. As the self-declared ‘First Buddy’ of President Donald Trump, Musk has earned himself a lucrative position as the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency.
If his political leanings weren’t already putting some Tesla owners off, he’s also tried to insert himself into foreign politics and was even branded a ‘national enemy’ by one UK politician.
Elon Musk recently hit headlines when he was accused of perming a ‘Nazi gesture’ at Donald Trump’s inauguration celebrations, and while he’s said it’s just the media trying to paint him in a negative light, it’s not exactly won him many new fans.
As for the Tesla community, an Instagram post from the clothing brand CHNGE mocks Musk in a carousel of Tesla bumper stickers that call out the company CEO.
One reads, “Bought it before we knew how awful he was,” while another directly names him and says, “I bought this before I knew Elon was crazy.”
Others in the comments were quick to share their thoughts on the situation, with someone else chuckling: “I saw one yesterday that said ‘I like the car, not the CEO’.”
Another joked about Musk’s vision for a technological future and said: “A man that wants to fill all of our jobs with robots, how did u not see it sooner??”
It wasn’t all bashing Elon, with someone else concluding: “Love how people are bashing the sticker as if all other car companies are run by honest loving people.
“Yes, people should stop buying Teslas after his most recent antics but to pretend like people originally purchased them because they liked Musk is just as irrational.”
Musk’s supporters are sure to rally behind him, and although there are plenty of Tesla and Cybertruck owners that worship the ground he walks on, there was a recent backlash to the inauguration scandal where some said they genuinely won’t be buying another vehicle from the automotive giant again.
Then again, there were many agreeing with the comment on the Instagram post that read: “If you can afford a Tesla you can afford to get rid of it.”
