An Intersection of Allegations
Another day, another lawsuit involving Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system. This time, however, a suit filed by a 2023 Tesla Model X owner from Kirkland, Washington, combines allegations resembling two widely reported issues: sudden unintended acceleration and driver-assistance software proceeding through red lights.
According to the lawsuit, via King 5, plaintiff Linh Nguyen was with his daughter in June 2023 when he stopped at a red light at 144th Street Northeast and 124th Avenue Northeast in Kirkland. The complaint claims that Autopilot triggered the Model X to suddenly accelerate, and that “the sudden and unintended acceleration of the vehicle was so violent that it caused the vehicle’s tires to burst.” The EV did not strike another vehicle, but it eventually hit a curb. The incident allegedly left Nguyen and his daughter with injuries.
Too Much Pressure?
Taking the language of the lawsuit literally, it’s hard to imagine the now-discontinued Model X blowing its tires because of sudden acceleration, especially since the EV is engineered to handle strong instant torque. However, the complaint may instead be referring to the overall severity of the incident, including the vehicle eventually striking a curb.
Another notable claim is that Nguyen paid $15,000 for what the lawsuit describes as Autopilot, even though basic Autopilot came standard. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) package cost $15,000 at the time of the incident before it eventually switched to a subscription-only model earlier this year. If the complaint refers to FSD, the vehicle could fall within NHTSA’s ongoing investigation into about 2.88 million FSD-equipped Teslas over traffic-law violations, including proceeding through red lights…