Korean actor sues Tesla for 'sudden acceleration' accident

Korean actor Son Ji-chang has posted pictures of his wrecked Tesla SUV on Facebook, saying his car suddenly accelerated in his garage. / Courtesy of Son Ji-chang’s Facebook

By Lee Jin-a

Actor Son Ji-chang / Courtesy of Son Ji-chang’s Facebook

Korean actor Son Ji-chang has filed a class action against Tesla Motors, claiming his electric SUV suddenly accelerated while being parked, causing it to crash through the garage into his living room.

The actor and his son, who was in the passenger’s seat, were reportedly injured.

According to local reports, Son, 46, said he was parking into his garage in September, when his electric SUV Model X suddenly sped up and crashed through his house.

The actor, who lives in California with his family, filed suit on Friday in a U.S. District Court seeking class action status. The lawsuit cites seven other complaints registered in a database compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) dealing with sudden acceleration without warning.

"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 the Plaintiffs' living room," the lawsuit says.

Son, who alleges product liability, negligence and breaches of warranty, is seeking unspecified damages.

Tesla has denied the allegations, saying Son had threatened the company using his celebrity status in Korea.

“Before filing his class action lawsuit against Tesla, Mr. Son had threatened to use his celebrity status in Korea to hurt Tesla unless we agreed to make a financial payment and acknowledge that the vehicle accelerated on its own,” said Tesla in a statement given to Electrak, a U.S. news site tracking alleged cases of sudden Tesla accelerations.

“However, the evidence clearly shows the vehicle was not at fault. Our policy is to stand by the evidence and not to give in to ultimatums.”

Son said he decided to start a long-time legal battle with Tesla because the company falsely claimed he had put himself and his son in danger to get money.