Nobody likes a liar, especially one who allegedly did so simply for attention and financial gain. It's just one way of creating fake news and Tesla is tired of it. That's why it's decided to take legal action against the owner of a Model 3 in China who made false claims regarding brake failure. The guy still says his vehicle lost control but Tesla now has proof that the man's brakes were fine, according to Teslarati. To make this story even better, it was the driver's own fault for getting caught.

Following the incident, he sent his Model 3's driving data to the Wenzhou Automotive Engineering Society for analysis and later posted the results on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, asking users for help interpreting the data.

It didn't take long for the driver to be told the car's data recorder clearly showed he mistook the accelerator for the brake. There was no failure whatsoever, only stupidity on his part. It doesn't appear Tesla has conducted its own investigation or whether it's even been sent the data recorder, but there's really no need to do so now. A credible third party did the job already. Talk about self-incrimination, right?

The legal team has every right to pursue this. It's not clear yet what exactly Tesla wants as compensation, but we doubt it'll involve money. This case isn't about money but rather reputation and public relations. The smart move will be to demand the owner to publicly retract his claims and apologize.

He should have gone through the proper channels first to find out what happened. Contacting Tesla directly or Chinese government safety authorities would have been wise. But no, he acted without thinking, and now he's not only a former Tesla owner but is in hot water with the world's most valuable automaker. This isn't the first time Tesla has been accused of brake failure in China.

Last April, a Model 3 owner very publicly voiced her outrage at the Shanghai Auto Show by putting on a show that involved standing on top of a display car and wearing a t-shirt reading (translated) "Tesla brake lost control." Tesla's internal investigation also discovered she was lying.