Tesla Model 3 obliterates driver in brutal collision as self-driving fears rise

Would you put your life in Elon Musk‘s hands? One driver may have, and now they’re picking bits of them out of the tangled wreckage of a Tesla Model 3. A disturbing video from Huzhou, China, taken on May 25, shows a Tesla Model 3 speeding down the road and colliding at full speed with the rear of a stationary semi-truck after making no effort whatsoever to brake.

Subsequent photos show that the front of the car was completely destroyed, and it’s confirmed that the driver was killed. Precise details of what happened are unavailable, but this accident sounds in line with multiple recent reported failures of Tesla’s self-driving mode, which uses cameras rather than the more expensive LIDAR to “see” what’s on the road ahead.

Yet another Tesla slams into the back of a stopped truck and kills the driver — this one happened in China 🇨🇳

Since Elon Musk removed radar from Teslas and relied on cameras only to save costs, Teslas have become especially vulnerable to such crashes.pic.twitter.com/hx8LA3qClk

— Facts Chaser 🌎 🤦🏻‍♂️ (@Factschaser) May 27, 2025

The crash is now under investigation by Tesla China, which is attempting to figure out whether this was a failure of FSD, driver error, or a mechanical malfunction with the vehicle. It should be noted that Model 3s are supposed to have tech to prevent this from happening, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and obstacle-aware acceleration. These would activate whether or not the vehicle was in self-driving mode, so at the very least, something has gone terribly wrong with this car’s collision prevention systems.

Tesla’s China woes

This is an incident Tesla doesn’t need right now. In China, they’re facing an increasingly long list of what are being dubbed “sudden acceleration” incidents, in which Teslas begin inexplicably accelerating to dangerous speeds for no reason. Drivers of these vehicles have insisted they’ve been frantically stamping on the brakes, only for their car to continue accelerating forward.

All of which means it’s entirely unsurprising that Tesla’s sales in China are cratering, with incidents like this making Musk’s company struggle against fierce local competition. A Morgan Stanley team was recently pessimistic about Tesla’s future prospects, saying: “We find market expectations around Tesla’s near-term automotive business remain too high and do not fully reflect the quantum of incremental capacity and competition coming out of China, ultimately having an impact in international markets.”

So, if you’re driving a Tesla and are tempted to use its self-driving mode, just remember incidents like this. Heck, why not remember the many insane things Elon Musk has said and done over the last few months and ask yourself whether you’re prepared to put your life in his hands? Frankly, at this point, I wouldn’t even trust him to design a Matchbox car.