Third Documented Tesla Cybertruck Fire in Less Than a Month Raises Questions

Tesla fans love to portray the Cybertruck as an indestructible, apocalyptic vehicle. To prove it, they've hit the electric pickup with hammers, thrown steel balls through its windows, and even shot it with bullets. Some have even believed Elon Musk's claims that the Cybertruck is a tank and can crush anything in its path. I recently saw a guy claim that this is “America's safest vehicle.” The reality, however, is quite different: many of the first Cybertrucks were destroyed and ended up in a landfill.

However, it is hard to argue that bad drivers are everywhere, and no matter how sturdy a vehicle is, it will still end up as a pile of scrap metal if it crashes. Ideally, an accident should not cause the vehicle to catch fire, although this does happen sometimes. Statistics show that this is more likely to happen in a petrol vehicle than in a Electric vehicledespite public perception. However, the Cybertruck is about to contradict these statistics with an unusually high rate of fire.

Earlier this month, we learned of a tragic accident in the Bayton area of ​​Texas that resulted in a vehicle fire. Unfortunately, the driver lost his life and an investigation is ongoing to find out what caused the accident, why the Cybertruck caught fire, and what specifically caused the driver’s death: a medical emergency, the collision, or the fire. The Cybertruck reportedly ran off the road, hit a concrete duct, and caught fire. As I said, tragedies happen, and this was the first documented Cybertruck fire.

Just a couple of days ago, my colleague Elena stumbled upon the charred remains of another Tesla Cybertruck on an auction site. The wreckage looked like the Cybertruck had also crashed and caught fire, a theory confirmed by the listing description. The pile of metal is located in Houston, Texas, which could say a lot about how Texans drive. It could also be because the Cybertruck is built in Austin and may be more common in the state.

While two Cybertruck fires in less than a month might seem like a terrible coincidence, having a third one just a day later is already disconcerting. This time, a Cybertruck reportedly hit a fire hydrant and caught fire. It’s strange that a fire hydrant was cited in a police report as the cause of a fire, but in this case, it’s understandable. The hydrant could have hit the battery pack, causing a rupture that started the fire.

However, this shouldn’t have happened in an adventure vehicle. The battery pack should be well protected behind a solid panel, in case an off-road adventure ends with a rock hitting the floor of the truck. And we know from Tesla presentations and fan stories that the Cybertruck is an off-road beast. After seeing this incident, I would think twice before going off-road in a Cybertruck.

The video shared on Reddit shows the fire raging underneath the truck, with no other signs of damage. The police report isn’t entirely accurate, as it states that the battery caught fire after water from the fire hydrant soaked it. This can’t be true, as battery packs don’t catch fire when wading through a river. First responders said they thought they had put out the flames, but the fire started again shortly after they stopped the flow of water on the battery. This is a clear sign of a lithium-ion battery fire.