What 365 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Tesla Model S Bev

MY TESLA DID AN UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION, JUMPED THE CURB AND HIT A CHICK-FIL-A RESTAURANT ON 9/04/2019: 1) FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I AM 100% CERTAIN THAT I DID NOT TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR OR IN ANY WAY CAUSE THE UNCOMMANDED AND UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE DRIVEN CARS AND TRUCKS WELL OVER A MILLION MILES AND NEVER ONCE ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED AN ACCELERATOR OR JUMPED A CURB WHEN PARKING. 2) I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY TESLA DAILY FOR FOUR MONTHS AND I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE VEHICLE AND IT'S SYSTEMS AND CONTROLS. I AM ALSO VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE SPECIFIC PARKING SPACE WHERE THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. I HAVE PARKED THERE MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, AND MOSTLY IN THE TESLA DURING THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. 3) THE DETAILS OF WHAT TOOK PLACE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT ARE AS FOLLOWS: THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY. WHILE GOING SLOWLY DOWN A SLIGHT SLOPE APPROACHING THE INTENDED PARKING AREA, I REMOVED MY RIGHT FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR AND ALLOWED REGENERATIVE BRAKING* TO SLOW THE CAR EVEN MORE WHILE I POSITIONED MY RIGHT FOOT VERY LIGHTLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE CREEP MODE* KEPT THE CAR SLOWLY MOVING FORWARD. WITH ABOUT TWO FEET TO GO, I MODULATED THE BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE TO SLOW THE CAR MORE AND MAKE SURE THAT THE FRONT SPLITTER DIDN'T BUMP THE CURB..... SUDDENLY THERE WAS A HARD IMPACT, A LOUD BANG, AND THE FRONT RIGHT CORNER** OF MY CAR WAS IN THE BRICK WALL, ALL IN A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF A SECOND. IT FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN REAR-ENDED, BUT THERE WAS NO OTHER VEHICLE INVOLVED. * CREEP MODE & REGENERATIVE BRAKING -- SEE ONLINE OWNER'S MANUAL ** HIT ON "FRONT CORNER" BECAUSE PARKING SPACE IS AT AN ANGLE TO THE BUILDING.

NHTSA ODI 11302849

TESLA S AND X BATTERIES ARE A DESIGN FLAW. TESLA'S PANASONIC CELLS ARE MADE WITH THIN METAL CASINGS SO THAT THE HEAT FROM ONE BURNING CELL CAUSES THE NEIGHBORING CELLS TO BURST ESPECIALLY WHEN EXPOSED TO AIR IN AN ACCIDENT. THESE FIRES EMIT TOXINS SUCH AS FLORINE GAS. THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND THE BATTERIES REPLACED WITH A SAFER DESIGN. THE RECENT ACCIDENT IN FLORIDA SHOWS THE NEED FOR THIS RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11093601

HERE IS A TESLA IN THE JUNKYARD: HTTPS://WWW.COPART.COM/LOT/39926687/PHOTOS IT HAS BEEN TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE. THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION INTO TESLA FIRES BACK IN 2014 AND IT WAS CLAIMED THAT FIRES WERE CAUSED BY ROAD DEBRIS PUNCTURING THE BATTERY PACK AND THIS PROBLEM WAS SOLVED BY FITTING A BATTERY SHIELD. TESLAS ARE STILL CATCHING FIRE AT AN ALARMING RATE. I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF MANY OF THESE FIRES IS NOT THAT THE LITHIUM BATTERY CATCHES FIRE FIRST BUT THAT THE ETHYLENE GLYCOL LEAKS OUT AND CATCHES FIRE. THE ATTACHE PHOTOGRAPH OF A 2013 FIRE CLEARLY SHOWS THE COOLANT BLAZING BENEATH THE CAR. A GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH FOR "TESLA FIRE" SHOWS MANY OF THESE GLYCOL FIRES. THE LITHIUM BATTERIES MAY WELL IGNITE AS WELL BUT IN MOST CASES IT SEEMS THAT THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF FIRE IS THE GLYCOL. ADVICE TO FIRST RESPONDERS SHOULD BE MODIFIED BECAUSE USING WATER IS NOT THE BEST WAY TO EXTINGUISH A FLAMMABLE LIQUID FIRE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. CONCERNED CITIZEN.

NHTSA ODI 11041379