Tesla owner blames crash on 'Autopilot' feature

Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Model X in 2015 (Getty)
Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Model X in 2015 (Getty)

An owner of a Tesla Model X has blamed the car's Autopilot function for a dramatic highway crash, but the company's not so sure.

The accident happened just a day after last week's admission from Tesla a driver of one of its cars died after its Autopilot function failed to see a tractor-trailer in its path.

In the latest crash, Albert Scaglione was driving along the Pennsylvania Turnpike with his son-in-law when the car hit a guard rail, veered off to the left and hit the concrete median, flipping onto its roof, reports the Detroit Free Press.

Mr Scaglione told police the car was in Autopilot mode at the time, but Tesla says there is no evidence the Model X's Autopilot feature was activated at the time.

"We received an automated alert from this vehicle on July 1 indicating air bag deployment, but logs containing detailed information on the state of the vehicle controls at the time of the collision were never received," the company said in a statement.

Tesla says it has tried to contact Mr Scaglione to "offer support" and gather information on the crash, but he hasn't answered their calls. The Detroit Free Press says Mr Scaglione has failed to answer their calls too.

The police say they are likely to press charges once they've figured out exactly what happened.

Tesla says while using its Autopilot function, drivers should keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road - it's meant to help people drive, not take over completely.

The driver who died was reportedly watching a Harry Potter movie when the accident happened.

Newshub.