The contact owned a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 100 MPH, as he took his foot off of the accelerator, with the vehicle brake control set to "aggressive slowdown," as the vehicle slowed the contact looked into the rearview mirror and observed white smoke issuing from the rear of the vehicle. The contact then depressed the brake pedal, and instead of slowing the vehicle accelerated at a dramatic rate and the contact lost control of the vehicle and left the roadway. The contact stated he was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle went into a ditch and continued straight following the ditch. The contact stated that the vehicle had not lost any speed, rather it seemed to be going faster. The vehicle crashed through a fence, drove up a slight berm, and went airborne. The contact's vehicle crashed into the ground, front end first, after flying 130 feet in the air, and began to roll end over end two to three times. The contact and his two passengers were unconscious after impact with the ground, the vehicle had come to a stop and caught on fire. The contact had attempted to exit the vehicle once he regained consciousness, however, he had difficulty since the driver's side door was jammed and his left ankle was dislocated and his right ankle was broken. The contact had managed to crawl out of the vehicle through the driver's side window which had completely shattered. The contact stated that the passenger in the front seat was not seriously injured, although he was transported to a hospital and released that same day. The passenger in the rear was transported and hospitalized with internal bleeding and a broken rib, the contact was not told which rib was broken by the passenger. The vehicle had been engulfed in fire and the contact had rolled into a ditch, a passerby was on the scene and called emergency services. The contact was transported from the scene by a rescue helicopter and flown to a trauma center. At the trauma center, the contact was treated for internal bleeding, the contact stated that 30 percent of his colon was removed, and his spleen had been ruptured. The contact had fractures of both orbits of his eyes, his nose was broken, and he had a severe concussion, with two broken ribs on the right side and one broken rib on the left of his chest. The contact stated that according to a police report and insurance investigation all the air bags had been deployed. The vehicle had burned completely and had to be lifted onto a flatbed truck and was driven to an impound lot. The fire had been so intense that the vehicle's black box was destroyed. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
NHTSA ODI 11495814