Tesla Said Someone Shot A Bullet Into Model S' Battery That Caught Fire

A Tesla Model S owner said his car caught fire when he drove it home right after delivery. This accident happened on December 31, 2014, but recently the suit which he filed against Tesla was brought to light. Tesla said the cause of the fire was that someone had fired a bullet into the battery from the passenger compartment.

The owner of the car in this case is John Schneider from Pennsylvania. He received his Model S on the last day of 2014.

The Tesla Model S suddenly caught fire

In a case filed to the Pennsylvania court, Schneider described in detail what happened to his car when he was on his way home. While he was driving in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, smoke, and fire came from the back seat of the car. Immediately, John stopped the car, got out of the car, and watched the rear passenger seat continue to burn.

He said the flames were so big that he could see it from outside. And it ruined the entire car.

At that time, not only Schneider's Model S but also some other Tesla cars suddenly burst into flames on the street.

Then, the local Tesla manager went to find Schneider and told him that there was a mistake with the battery in his Model S. It seems Tesla is very wary of the fires of their cars.

The lawsuit shows that Tesla brought their men to investigate the cause. In just five days after the fire, Tesla quickly made an offer to Schneider asking him to keep quiet about his Model S being caught fire. In return, Schneider would soon receive a new car whose warranty will be extended for free and the company will take care of his loans. At that time, Schneider accepted the Tesla deal.

Then, Schneider was sent to a loaner by Tesla during the time the company prepared a new car for him.

All changed when a few weeks later, Tesla announced they had completed the investigation and found out the cause of the fire was due to a bullet fired to the battery from the passenger cabin. Tesla has officially rescinded the initial cancellation due to the discovery of that new cause on January 21, 2015.

The agreement which Tesla's requested Schneider to sign

Schneider was completely opposed to Tesla's decision. He said the company's actions have affected him so much because of the car loans he no longer owns.

However, the case was later settled outside the court as there were no details of how it was resolved.

An official letter from Tesla to rescind the original deal because of the new finding

Tesla announced they actually found a bullet in the battery but it's weird to imagine someone firing a battery from a passenger's cab on his way home after receiving a cargo.

Do not forget that the other fires of Tesla's vehicles are without any apparent cause. Moreover, electric vehicles do not easily catch fire and have many fire problems as gasoline. Tesla worried about the thermal runaway of the battery could lead to accidents without any external impact. This could be the reason why Tesla conducted investigations of burned vehicles without any requirement and impact.