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Tesla electric car caught fire on June 29. The owner said he was initially unable to 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 US state of Pennsylvania (USA), while the owner was driving, three days after the US$ 129.900 top-of-the-line car (approximately R$650) was delivered after its launch in June, a lawyer for the driver told Reuters.
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The driver, identified as an "executive businessman", was initially unable to get out of the car because his electronic door system failed, prompting the driver to "use force to push it open", said Mark Geragos of Geragos & Geragos. last Friday (02/07).
The car continued to move for about 11 to 12 meters before turning into a "ball of fire" in a residential area near the owner's home in Pennsylvania.
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In an interview, Setchen said his client narrowly escaped catastrophe after the car caught fire and the door handles wouldn't budge.
“He was able to get out of the door somehow. And the car, shortly after he left, became a ball of fire,” said Geragos. He said his client had done nothing to damage the car and the incident appeared "completely spontaneous".
The driver's attorneys shared photos of badging and documentation confirming the vehicle was a Model S Plaid. Mark Geragos of the Geragos and Geragos law firm confirmed that he is representing the owner and urged Tesla to pull 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 ask Tesla to ground the S Plaid and to move these cars away until a full investigation can take place," Geragos said.
The lawyer did not say whether his client is planning legal action against Tesla. He asked the company to pull the Plaid Model S off the road until the incident is investigated.
Tesla had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.
Tesla River chief executive Elon Musk hailed 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 Fremont, Calif., factory last month. In early April, he said the new Model S sedan and Model X sport utility vehicle had a new battery.
"It took quite a bit of development to make sure the new S/X's battery is safe," Musk said on 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 older Model S and Model X vehicles, a probe that opened in 2019.
The fire bore a resemblance to previous Tesla fires, where there was an electrical or smoky smell followed by a popping sound, and the owner was trapped in the vehicle after its electronics failed. The Washington Post reported a similar series of events in Frisco, Tex., in November.
The National Traffic Safety Administration said it was gathering 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,” spokeswoman Lucia Sanchez said. “If data or investigations show a defect or an inherent safety risk exists, NHTSA will take action as appropriate to protect the public.”
