A man whose Tesla caught fire on a highway was asked to bring it into the service center.
Tesla owner Bishal Malla assumed he just had a flat tire as he was about to enter Highway 99 when his car began to shake and, just minutes later, he was stunned to see the whole thing engulfed in flames.
Malla, a California resident, was out and about running errands on 6 May when the ordeal took place. Check it out:
When checking out the issue before the Tesla caught alight, Malla found smoke emanating from the bottom of the vehicle.
Mere moments later, the entire wagon was up in flames.
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Malla has since contacted the Tesla customer service team looking for some answers but, instead, he was reportedly met with the recommendation to just haul his barbecued car to a Tesla-servicing center.
Speaking to Insider, the motorist claimed that when he contacted the company to file an official complaint, they 'took the report' but 'no one responded'.
After that interaction, Malla then contacted Tesla three or four more times but had received 'no follow-ups'.
When he was finally able to speak with a customer service agent on the phone, the man was shocked at the advice he received.
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"One agent I talked to had an audacity to tell me to take my fully burned Tesla to the Tesla recommended servicing center," Malla wrote on Reddit.
"How in the world am I going to do that?"
He told Insider that the agent did not give him advice as to how he would transport the vehicle to the servicing center in the first place.
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Malla continued: "Yes, insurance will cover the car, but I need to hear from Tesla.
"All I need is the answer from them and protect others to not go through the same issue."
The man also told KCRA 3 that he felt lucky to be alive and was left 'speechless' over the situation.
He continued on the Reddit thread: "If this had happened 30 minutes later, my whole family would be in there because I was about to pick up my kids and family and head to the family gathering."
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Malla took to Twitter yesterday (18 May) to share footage from the ordeal.
He captioned the short clip: "My Tesla Y caught fire on Saturday, May 6 at the California hwy.
"I was driving on a ramp to enter the freeway when I hear a noise from the bottom. I opened my door and saw smoke coming from the bottom. It’s been 2 weeks and not a single follow up. I need answers."
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In a follow-up tweet, Malla added: "I need answers from Tesla plz. Is my life so cheap that it keeps happening and they just simply don’t care and hold no responsibility.
"I'm physically exhausted and mentally devastated and traumatized. I need answers [sic] from Elon Musk and Tesla please."
UNILAD has reached out to Tesla for comment.
Rhiannon Ingle