Read also: car that burned in Tennessee
Juris Shibayama, a Tennessee physician and the owner of the Tesla S car that burned on the road Wednesday afternoon, stood by the car after recalling what had happened. He wrote his story in the company blog.
Shibayama recalls how he has failed to make a swerve in his attempt to avoid a hitched trailer in the highway in Smyrna and how his car went on fire.
"This experience does not in any way make me think that the Tesla Model S is an unsafe car. I would buy another one in a heartbeat," he wrote.
As he was driving home from work, he struck the hitch at around 70 miles per hour. He suddenly felt a thud and then received a warning message. He continued to drive but after a minute, another message popped up. This made him decide to get out of the car. Soon, there was smoke coming out beneath the car before the fire came out.
However, federal investigators may think otherwise. They are now investigating this third incident involving a car from Tesla again. In the first incident, the car went on fire after a driver struck and pierced its armored battery pack. In the second incident, the car crashed outside Seattle before it burst into flames.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already issued a statement after conducting a preliminary investigation. It even issued a stronger statement on Friday saying that not only are they getting details of the accident from the authorities but they are also getting in touch directly with the automaker. Through this, they would be able to decide if additional action is needed.
Nevertheless, Shibayama was still grateful that he was driving a Tesla. “I am thankful to God that I was totally uninjured in any way from this impact. Had I not been in a Tesla, that object could have punched through the floor and caused me serious harm.”