Tesla Model S Plunges Into Lake, Chinese Driver Blames Unintended Acceleration

BY Brad Anderson | Posted on

A Tesla Model S owner in China claims that his electric sedan accelerated on its own and plunged into a river in Shanghai.

Xiao Chen told local Chinese media that as he was pulling in to the Tesla Qingpu District Supercharger, the car accelerated and he lost control. The Tesla then smashed through a fence and plunged into the river. The river wasn’t very deep and both the driver and passenger were able to escape without any injuries.

Claims of unintended acceleration from various Tesla models are nothing new. In fact, quite a few crashes involving Tesla models are blamed on unintended acceleration from their owners.

Unlike with most other vehicles, it is pretty easy to prove or disprove this thanks to the onboard systems found in all Tesla models. According to Electrek, the car manufacturer is investigating the owner’s claims of unintended acceleration.

Footage from the scene shows the electric sedan being pulled out of the river but it remains to be seen just how much damage the car sustained. However, electric cars and water don’t typically mix well so there’s a good chance putting this Tesla back onto Shanghai’s streets will be a costly endeavor.

While you could be forgiven for chuckling at instances of drivers unintentionally accelerating in their vehicles, the truth is that it happens quite frequently as drivers confuse the brake and accelerator pedals. The results can be disastrous.

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