Model X Owner Suing Tesla After Falcon Doors Allegedly Fail To Open In Fiery Crash

The fancy Falcon Wing doors are probably the Tesla Model X’s most controversial feature. To some, they’re an awesome party piece, to others, an unnecessary gimmick. One owner in Guangzhou, China however is now claiming the doors on her Model X failed to operate at the worst possible moment.

The owner is suing Tesla following an accident in February, in which she and her boyfriend were stuck in the second row seats of a Model X (they were being chauffeured at the time) when the Falcon Doors allegedly failed to open, just as the vehicle’s battery cells began to catch fire. The pair escaped through the front doors and avoid further harm, but she’s now after 8 million Chinese yuan (£900,000) in compensation.

Just before the accident, the car was said to be travelling at around 47mph when it hit a concrete barrier, span, and ended up being struck by another vehicle.

A video of the aftermath is on YouTube (below), although just to warn you, the woman’s injuries (including a broken nose and a severe cut to her lip) are shown quite prominently.

The chauffeur meanwhile was much worse off - in an open letter the Model X owner notes that the driver was hospitalised for over 40 days with “internal injuries and fractures”. The owner also claims to have been psychologically damaged by the crash, mentioning recurring nightmares that involve “being burned to death inside the Tesla Model X”.
A responding statement from Tesla China - picked up and translated by Electrek - said:

“First of all, the lives of the owner and passengers were not threatened. We are working closely with the department concerned. The distribution of the debris at the site and the damage all indicate that this was a high-speed crash – in this case, not just electric cars, but any vehicle can catch on fire. In fact, another car involved in the accident (a fuel-powered vehicle) also caught on fire. Fuel tank fire incidents happen much more often than the electric car fires.

In addition, Tesla has consistently insisted on the disclosure and transparency of information, including other information about the incident, such as the owner is asking us for 8 million yuan, and we will not accept.”

It’s worth mentioning that the Model X does have an emergency release for the Falcon doors. Electrek notes that it’s detailed in the owner’s manual that lives in the car, but not the online manual - although it is in the online first responder’s guide.