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Tesla Electric Car Caught Fire On June 29. The Owner Said He Initially Couldn’t Get Out Of The Car After The Electronic Door Handles Failed To Respond.
A Tesla Model S Plaid EV caught fire last Tuesday, June 29, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania while the owner was driving, three days after the $129,900 (approximately R$ 650 thousand) top-of-the-line car was delivered following its launch in June, a lawyer for the driver told Reuters.
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The driver, identified as an “executive entrepreneur,” initially could not get out of the car because the electronic door system failed, causing the driver to “use force to push it open,” said Mark Geragos of Geragos & Geragos last Friday (07/02).
The car continued to move for about 11 to 12 meters before turning into a “fireball” in a residential area near the owner’s home in Pennsylvania.
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In an interview, Setchen said that his client narrowly escaped disaster after the car caught fire and the door handles did not move.
“He was able to get out of the door somehow. And the car, shortly after he got out, turned into a fireball,” Geragos said. He mentioned that his client had done nothing to damage the car and that the incident appeared to be “completely spontaneous.”
The driver’s lawyers shared photos of badging and documentation confirming that the vehicle was a Model S Plaid. Mark Geragos from the Geragos and Geragos law firm confirmed he is representing the owner and requested Tesla to take the vehicles off the road.
“This is a distressing and frightening situation and an obvious problem,” Geragos said in a statement. “Our preliminary investigation is ongoing, but we urge Tesla to ground the S Plaid and remove these cars until a thorough investigation can take place,” Geragos stated.
The lawyer did not say whether his client is planning legal action against Tesla. He asked the company to take the Plaid Model S off the road until the incident is investigated.
Tesla Did Not Immediately Respond When Contacted By Reuters.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk highlighted the performance version of his Model S sedan as being “faster than any Porsche, safer than any Volvo” at a launch event at the automaker’s factory in Fremont, California, last month. In early April, he stated that the new Model S sedan and the Model X SUV had a new battery.
“It took some development to ensure that the new S/X battery is safe,” Musk said in a conference call, addressing production delays. “There were more challenges than expected in developing the new version.”
The agency is investigating alleged defects that could cause fires in Tesla sedans and SUVs, including the older Model S and Model X vehicles, an investigation that was opened in 2019.
The fire resembled previous Tesla fires, where there was an electrical or smoky smell followed by a bang, and the owner became trapped in the vehicle after its electronics failed. The Washington Post reported a similar series of events in Frisco, Tex., in November.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Said It Is Collecting Information About The Incident.
“NHTSA is aware of the Tesla vehicle fire in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania; and the agency is in contact with relevant agencies and the manufacturer to gather information about the incident,” said spokesperson Lucia Sanchez. “If data or investigations show that there is a defect or an inherent safety risk, NHTSA will take appropriate action to protect the public.”
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