Third fire reported in Tesla’s electric Model S luxury vehicle

Florida car enthusiasts may be interested to learn that Tesla Motors continued to see their shares fall after a third fire in their Model S luxury vehicle was confirmed. According to the report, the high-end electric car company saw their stock fall nine percent, or $13.40, on Nov. 7. This decline followed a 15 percent plunge just the day before.

The third fire in the company’s Model S vehicle occurred on Nov. 6 near Smyrna, Tennessee. This was the third Model S to catch fire within a period of five weeks. As with the other reported fires, it was confirmed that the fire resulted from an auto accident. Furthermore, no injuries or deaths associated to the fires have been reported. However, safety officials have since considered the vehicles’ lithium-ion batteries to be fire-prone.

In addition, Model S owners have reported that some vehicles were making a strange noise when drivers accelerated or decelerated. According to the Edmunds.com vehicle testing manager, Tesla was able to fix the problem but declined to discuss what was causing the problem. Another Tesla vehicle owner, who had posted similar complaints on Tesla’s forums, stated that the company had to replace the drive unit twice in order to fix the problem.

As vehicles become more advanced, the types of injuries that someone may suffer as a result of a car accident may be affected. For example, if electric vehicles are more prone to fires, someone who is injured in an auto accident may also face a higher risk of burns in addition to broken bones and other more common injuries. If it is proven that a vehicle is more fire-prone and someone suffers serious injuries as a result, that person may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the car company. A personal injury attorney may be able to help those who have suffered as a result of a defective auto product gain compensation for their injuries.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “Tesla shares slip more on reports of third fire, other car problems“, Jerry Hirsch, November 07, 2013