Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is facing a lawsuit over an alleged suspension failure that led to the deaths of two people in Florida last year, legal information site Plainsite reported this morning.
The suit, filed last week in a Florida state court, claims Tesla’s Model 3 had a "defective and unreasonably dangerous suspension that may cause loss of control during ordinary and foreseeable driving conditions."
It also mentioned that four days before the crash, the driver, Nicholas G. Garcia, brought the vehicle to a Tesla Store due to problems with "controllability/steering, suspension, battery and electronic system, and an ability to open the doors."
The September crash, which killed Garcia and his female passenger, Jazmin Alcala, sparked an investigation by regulators.
The National Safety Transportation Board (NTSB) sent three investigators to look into the operation of the Tesla Model 3 which left the road.
Its preliminary report found the vehicle was speeding before crashing into two trees and catching alight.
The lawsuit seeks $30,000 in damages from both Tesla and the service manager
Tesla has previously recalled thousands of vehicles for suspension issues, including 3,000 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles in the United States in October.
It is the latest bad press to hit the company this month.
Last week, the South Korean antitrust regulator said it was investigating Tesla over claims it misreported the mileage range of several of its cars.
This followed the recall of 579,000 cars as US regulators cited their cars’ external speakers as a safety hazard.
Down more than 10% in the last month, Tesla’s share price has recovered this week, rising 7.5% since Monday morning to close yesterday at US$923.39.