A family in China was shocked after being ordered to pay Tesla $23,000 following a crash they say was caused by brake failure. Instead of getting compensation, they lost the case in court.
In February 2021, Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of a Tesla Model 3 while her father drove. As they approached a red light, her father stepped on the brakes—but according to Zhang, the car didn’t slow down.
Panic set in as her father shouted, “The brakes don’t work!” He tried to avoid hitting other cars, but there was no way out. The Tesla hit an SUV, then a sedan, and finally crashed into a concrete barrier.
Zhang’s parents were hospitalized for four days. Her father suffered a concussion. Zhang and her baby niece, who were also in the car, were lucky to be unhurt. But their struggle had just begun.
When traffic police investigated, they said the crash was her father’s fault because he didn’t keep a safe distance. Zhang disagreed. She believed the brakes had failed and wanted Tesla to prove otherwise.
She filed a complaint, asking for a refund and compensation, as well as the car’s pre-crash data. But Tesla refused.
Feeling ignored, Zhang took action. She parked her car outside a Tesla dealership with a sign that said “Tesla brake failure.” She also used a bullhorn to tell people her story. Still, Tesla did not respond.
To get more attention, she staged a protest at an auto show. Wearing a shirt that said “brakes fail,” she climbed onto a Tesla display car. The protest got her detained, but it also made the story go viral.
Tesla then accused her of lying for attention. Angry, Zhang sued Tesla for defamation.
But Tesla fought back. They sued her, saying she was spreading false claims that hurt the company’s reputation. They asked for $684,000 in damages.
Under pressure, Tesla finally released the car’s data. It showed her father was driving at 75 mph before the crash and that the brakes had worked—but not enough to stop the accident.
The case went to court, and Zhang lost. The judge ruled that she couldn’t prove the brakes had failed. She was ordered to apologize and pay Tesla $23,000.
Despite the ruling, Zhang is appealing. She insists she was just sharing her experience as a customer. However, history is not in her favor. Tesla has faced 81 lawsuits in China—and won 72 of them.