Tesla Protester Ordered to Pay $23,400 And Apologize For Car Show Stunt That Went Viral

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Zhang Yazhou, wearing a T-shirt reading “Brake Failure”, climbed on to a red Model 3 at Tesla’s booth in the Shanghai Auto Show on April 19, 2021.

A Chinese woman who staged a protest while standing on the roof of a Tesla car at the Shanghai auto show three years ago was ordered by court to apologize and pay more than 170,000 yuan ($23,400) to carmaker, Tesla confirmed with Caixin.

This is the second lawsuit Tesla has won in China against customers alleging its Model 3 sedan suffered a brake failure. The carmaker sued both protesters for defamation after the 2021 Shanghai car show disturbance went viral on social media.

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Two customers in China alleged brake failures in Tesla Model 3 cars and staged protests, with one being ordered to apologize and pay 170,000 yuan.
Tesla won both defamation lawsuits; the court found no evidence of brake failure after inspections.
The court stated that the protests aimed to attract media attention and disrupted public order, harming Tesla's reputation.

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Tesla: Tesla faced protests from Chinese customers alleging brake failures in its Model 3. Following a viral rooftop protest at the 2021 Shanghai auto show, courts ruled in Tesla's favor in two defamation cases. One protester was ordered to apologize and pay 170,000 yuan, while another had to apologize and pay 2,000 yuan. Inspections revealed no brake issues in the vehicles.

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