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Tesla Model X spontaneously caught fire for no apparent reason

Published Apr 18th, 2019 6:04PM EDT
Tesla Fire
Image: Ena/AP/REX/Shutterstock

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In a peculiar story, a Model X in Pittsburgh caught fire while it was in the midst of being transported to a repair shop. Adding yet another layer of curiosity to the saga, KDKA-TV reveals that the same Model X previously caught fire back in February while it was just sitting idly in a garage.

“We removed the car from the garage,” forensic engineer David Bizza told the news channel. “A Tesla engineer removed the fuse from the battery pack prior to transport, indicating that would make the car safe for transport. We brought it here to Monroeville, arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon, and about 6:20, the car spontaneously caught fire.

The fire raged on for about four hours before it was finally put out of commission.

While the underlying cause of the fire remains unknown, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen reports of Tesla vehicles spontaneously catching fire. And though far from a widespread issue, the notion of any car randomly bursting into flames is undeniably jarring.

That said, you might recall that a Tesla Model S back in December of last year inexplicably caught fire after being towed to a repair shop. The Model S in question, similar to the Model X above, reportedly suffered no previous damage. And before that, a Model S owner in June saw his Tesla go up in flames for seemingly no rhyme or reason.

Tesla at the time issued a statement noting that the event was an “extraordinarily unusual occurrence.” A video of the Model S fire from June can be viewed below.

We imagine that Tesla is investigating the issue and will provide a statement on the matter sometime soon.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.