Tesla has been found 1 per cent negligent in the death of an 18-year-old whose Model S sedan slammed into a concrete wall at more than 180 kilometres per hour.
A Florida jury determined the teenager and his father were 99 per cent at fault for the crash, which happened after the car's speed limiter had been deactivated.
Barrett Riley had been driving at 116 miles per hour (187kph) on a curve with a 25mph (40kph) speed limit when he lost control of the 2014 Model S on May 8, 2018.
An 18-year-old passenger also died while a third occupant survived.
Mr Riley's parents James and Jenny Riley said the crash occurred after a Tesla technician disabled a device that capped the car's speed at 85mph (137kph).
Their lawyers labelled the case the first against Tesla over an accident involving its vehicles.
The jury found Tesla 1 per cent negligent, Barrett Riley 90 per cent negligent and James Riley 9 per cent negligent in the teen's death.
The jury awarded the parents of Barrett Riley a combined $US10.5 million ($15 million) in damages, however this figure can be reduced by the judge.
Tesla lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tesla, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, said Barrett Riley's recklessness caused the crash and his parents should have taken away the keys after his March 2018 speeding ticket for driving at 112mph (180kph).
It also said Barrett Riley tricked the technician into disabling the speed limiter.
The parents said a design defect in Tesla's lithium-ion battery cells and battery pack contributed to a fire, but a judge dismissed that claim.
Family lawyer Curtis Miner said they hoped the case would prevent other accidents and save lives.
Tesla has faced a variety of lawsuits and regulatory probes over crashes tied to its Autopilot feature.
That feature was not at issue in Barrett Riley's crash, court records show.
ABC/Reuters
