San Jose Woman Claims New Tesla Auto-Accelerated Into Garage
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- A San Jose woman claims her brand new Tesla Model 3 accelerated on its own at a high rate of speed last week, crashing through her garage and into her husband's car before it came to a stop against a wall.
"It seems like it was not in my control," said Supriya Gupta. "It would've costed a life."
The force also caused damage to her kitchen where her mom was cooking at the time.
"It sounded like a bomb exploded or something," said Gupta's husband, Ratan Kaushal.
The incident was caught on the family's home surveillance camera, which the couple said they shared with Tesla workers after the accident.
According to Gupta, her foot was on the brake pedal as she slowed down to park in her driveway when the Tesla suddenly shot forward uncontrollably at a high rate of speed.
But in a statement, Tesla spokesperson Keely Sulprizio told KPIX, "We investigate the vehicle diagnostic logs when a driver claims their car 'suddenly' and 'unexpectedly' accelerated, and in every case the vehicle's diagnostic logs confirm the vehicle operated as designed."
Gupta said she has asked the company repeatedly to ask for the diagnostic log that could tell them whether she was at fault, but claims not only did they not get a response from Tesla the day of the accident -- she said she has not heard from them at all.
"We just want a fair investigation," said Kaushal.
Gupta became emotional as she thought about what could've happened had her boys been playing inside the garage at the time of the crash.
"Luckily, my kids were not there," she said. "It's like a nightmare to think about that. I couldn't sleep for three days."
She insists that what happened last Tuesday, just four days after bringing home her dream car, was not her fault.
Gupta said in the 12 years she's driven in the United States, she has never been in an accident.
"I'm not a bad driver. I'm a safe driver," she said.
Until the couple gets answers from the company, Gupta said she doesn't feel safe stepping foot in another Tesla again.
"I think something is fishy and they are hiding from us," said Gupta. "It could happen on the road also, so I don't feel safe for my family, as well as for me."
They estimate the damage to both their cars and their home at nearly $100,000.
This is far from the first time a Tesla owner has claimed their car accelerated on its own.
