Tesla faces lawsuit over sudden Model X acceleration

(Reuters) — Tesla Motors Inc was sued on Friday by a Model X owner who said his electric SUV suddenly accelerated while being parked, causing it to crash through the garage into the owner’s living room, injuring the driver and a passenger.

The Model X owner, Ji Chang Son, said that one night in September, he slowly pulled into his driveway as his garage door opened when the car suddenly sped forward.

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“The vehicle spontaneously began to accelerate at full power, jerking forward and crashing through the interior wall of the garage, destroying several wooden support beams in the wall and a steel sewer pipe, among other things, and coming to rest in Plaintiffs’ living room,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, seeks class action status. It cites seven other complaints registered in a database compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) dealing with sudden acceleration without warning.

The lawsuit alleges product liability, negligence and breaches of warranty, and seeks unspecified damages.

Tesla did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

NHTSA did not return a phone call seeking verification.

The luxury Model X, launched in late 2015 X, was Tesla’s first sport utility vehicle.

In its marketing, Tesla claims the Model X is the safest SUV in history.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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