The owner of a Tesla Model X in China is asking the electric automaker for 8 million yuan (about $1 million) in compensation after claiming that a crash and fire caused the falcon doors to no longer function.
Speaking about the incident, the female owner of the Model X, Lee Tada, was sitting in the second row of seats with her boyfriend while their chauffeur was driving. Tada claims that while travelling at approximately 75 km/h (46 mph), the electric crossover hit a concrete siderail, spun 180 degrees and was hit by a Ford Focus.
She claims that both the falcon doors refused to open after the crash and that she and her boyfriend were forced to exit through the front door after they started hearing batteries explode, Electrek reports.
Lee says that she suffered a cut on her lower lip and a broken nose while the chauffeur was apparently hospitalized for over 40 days.
However, Tesla China isn’t buying the story and has refused to pay, claiming that the crash took place at high speed, not 75 km/h.
In a statement translated from Chinese, Tesla said “First of all, the lives of the owner and passengers were not threatened. We are working closely with the department concerned. The distribution of the debris at the site and the damage all indicate that this was a high-speed crash – in this case, not just electric cars, but any vehicle can catch on fire. In fact, another car involved in the accident (a fuel-powered vehicle) also caught on fire. Fuel tank fire incidents happen much more often than the electric car fires.
“In addition, Tesla has consistently insisted on the disclosure and transparency of information, including other information about the incident, such as the owner is asking us for 8 million yuan, and we will not accept.”
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