April 24, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korean singer and actor Son Ji-chang is planning on requesting the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an inquiry into the Tesla Model X for defects causing sudden unintended acceleration, in addition to the suit filed against the US luxury carmaker.

McCune Wright Arevalo and Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, the US-based law firms representing Son, said on Jan. 3 (local time) they will submit a letter to NHTSA this week seeking a probe into the car’s defect that allegedly caused a car crash in September. 

On Dec. 30, Son filed a lawsuit seeking class action status against Tesla Motors in the US District Court in California, after discovering several similar Model X cases were reported to the NHTSA. In his filing, Son claimed his Model X SUV unexpectedly accelerated at full power while he was trying to park in inside his garage, causing the vehicle to crash through the wall and into his living room, injuring him and his son on the passenger seat.

“I decided to file the lawsuit after Tesla declined to admit its faults, but instead claiming I used my celebrity status to get money from it,” Son said on his Facebook.

However, Tesla denied the allegation and said the crash was entirely Son’s fault.

“The evidence, including data from the car, conclusively shows that the crash was the result of Mr. Son pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to 100 percent,” Tesla said in a statement to Reuters.

The lawsuit claims product liability, negligence and breach of warranty, seeking unspecified damages.

“Mr. Son’s intentions of making a public disclosure was for the purpose of making people aware of his experience with his Tesla X in the hopes that he could prevent similar occurrences from happening in the future,” said Son’s personal lawyer Benedict Kwon in a statement, confirming Son has not demanded any compensation from Tesla.

The latest Tesla news has spark fury among Korean consumers, dealing a blow to the iconic US EV maker as it is gearing to open its first showroom in the country this year.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)