Former Revel driver sues Tesla over claim of sudden unintended acceleration

A former Revel driver in New York City is suing Tesla after the Model Y he was driving “suddenly and automatically” accelerated. This is just the latest claim that a Tesla vehicle has malfunctioned, when in all previous cases it has been determined it was actually driver error.

According to the lawsuit filed by the plaintiff Akm Shamsuzzaman in New York State Supreme Court on May 16, the Revel driver was assigned a Tesla when he arrived at work on January 29, 2023. The suit explains the plaintiff attempted to start driving the electric SUV with the key card, but nothing happened. The plaintiff attempted to start the car with the key card a second time, at which time the car “suddenly and automatically accelerated forward.”

In an interview with Insider, the plaintiff’s lawyer explained what happened in greater detail, saying “he had his foot on the brake. He put the car into drive, took his foot off the brake, and then the car jumped forward.”

After accelerating forward the suit alleges the driver attempted to press the brake pedal and put the car into park, but the car did not stop or slow down, resulting in the Tesla crashing into an empty parking space.

“With no other way to stop, Plaintiff steering the motor vehicle into an empty parking space and crashed into an empty parking space,” the suit alleges.

The driver was not injured, and is seeking unspecified damages “in an amount exceeding the minimal jurisdictional limit.”

If you have been following Tesla for a while you will know this is the not the first time a driver has claimed his car has accelerated uncontrollably and been unable to brake. Referred to as “sudden unintended acceleration,” the data has shown in all previous cases it was actually pedal misapplication where the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator, and not the brake pedal.

The situation was even investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), ultimately clearing Tesla after finding “no evidence of fault in the accelerator pedal assemblies, motor control systems, or brake systems that contributed to the cited incidents.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the driver is no longer employed by Revel, after the company reached out to Drive Tesla for clarification. 

You can read the full lawsuit below.