Tesla Model X Smashes Into Gym, Driver Blames Unintended Acceleration

A Tesla Model X owner in Pasco County, Fla. drove through the wall of an empty storefront before crashing into the side of a gym last weekend, reports ABC 15. Luckily, no one was injured in the accident. The woman behind the wheel of the Model X stated that she pressed the brakes. But instead of slowing down, the car continued to accelerate.

ABC Action News received footage of the incident, which you can watch below. In the video, you can see how close the car came to hitting a gym member. An elderly man finishes working out on a treadmill and steps off of the machine. Just as he begins to walk away, the Model X comes crashing into the gym. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office released some images of the incident that are included in the gallery below.

The unidentified woman behind the wheel told authorities that she was entering the parking lot with the intention of going to the nearby nail salon when the Model X continued to accelerate despite the fact that she was stepping on the brakes. The outlet claims that local authorities did not conduct a sobriety test.

Unintended acceleration has happened before in a Model X

This isn’t the first time a Tesla has been blamed for unintended acceleration. Last January, the electric automaker denied responsibility in a lawsuit that alleged a Model X accelerated unexpectedly in an incident in Southern California.

Unintended acceleration can be a scary thing. You let off the gas pedal, but the car continues to accelerate full speed ahead without any input from you. That would terrify anyone. When it comes to cars accelerating on their own, Toyota’s issues immediately come to mind.

The Model X and Tesla’s Autopilot system have been under scrutiny recently, following the death of a driver in California that crashed into a barrier when the vehicle was in its autonomous mode.

Here’s what a Tesla spokesperson had to say about the incident:

“We take the safety of our customers very seriously and we’re glad our customer is safe. We investigate the vehicle diagnostic logs in every accident in which a driver claims their car “suddenly” and “unexpectedly” accelerated, and in every case the vehicle’s diagnostic logs confirm that the vehicle operated as designed. Accidents involving “pedal misapplication,” in which a driver presses the accelerator pedal by mistake, occur in all types of vehicles, not just Teslas. The accelerator pedals in Tesla vehicles have two redundant sensors that clearly show us when the pedal is physically pressed down, such as by the driver’s foot.”