Tesla owner cracks it at Shanghai Auto Show over brake failure

Tesla’s show stand at the Shanghai Auto Show was dealt a significant public relations blow yesterday after an angry protester slipped past barriers around a Model 3 and proceeded to stand on the car’s roof.

The protester, a former Tesla owner, wore a white t-shirt with the red Tesla logo on it and a slogan above it that read “brakes lost control” in Mandarin.

She also yelled that both herself and her family had nearly died in their Tesla Model 3 after it suffered brake failure and crashed.

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Photo credit: Twitter - @ShanghaiEye

Event security worked to cover the disgruntled protester with umbrellas, but those efforts proved futile, as the determined demonstrator snatched the umbrellas from the security guards’ hands, throwing them away in anger while yelling “Tesla brakes lost control”.

She was then unceremoniously dragged from the roof of Australia’s favourite electric vehicle, before being whisked away by more security.

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Photo credit: Twitter - @ShanghaiEye

According to Bloomberg News, Tesla officials said the protester “is widely known for having repeatedly protested against Tesla’s brake issue”.

The crash that both she and her family were involved in was investigated by Tesla at the time of the incident, however, the automaker found that the braking and driver assistance systems were operating correctly at the time of the 120km/h impact.

Tesla also told Bloomberg that it “places great emphasis” on consumer rights, and the EV maker had tried to provide an amicable solution to their customer’s objections.

This latest snafu comes just one day after news broke that two men had died in a Tesla Model S that had ploughed into a tree in Texas.

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