Tesla Inc has been sued over an alleged suspension failure during a car crash that killed the driver and a passenger in Florida last year and resulted in a federal probe.
The lawsuit notes that the 2021 Model 3 car had a “defective and unreasonably dangerous suspension that may cause loss of control during ordinary and foreseeable driving conditions”.
It is filed by the driver’s family in a Florida state court last week.
The lawsuit said that four days before the crash that took place in September, the driver, Nicholas G. Garcia, brought the vehicle to a Tesla Store because of the issues with “controllability/steering, suspension, battery and electronic system, and an ability to open the doors”.
The lawsuit alleged the automaker’s service manager of “negligently” inspecting the affected model.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, said in a preliminary report in November that the car was speeding before it struck two trees and engulfed.
Garcia, 20, and a front-seat passenger identified as Jazmin Alcala, 19, sustained injuries and “traumatic life-ending burns,” according to a Coral Gables Police Department report.
The lawsuit seeks damages of more than $30,000 each from Tesla and the service manager.
