In the February of 2022, Tesla had to recall around 578,000 vehicles after the NHTSA or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mentioned that the company didn’t comply with safety standards. Several other Tesla owners have complained about the cost to replace the batteries. In 2021, a Finnish man decided to destroy his car rather than pay $23k for a new battery. The battery on his 2013 Model S had outlasted the warranty by over 8 years. This is why he hired a team of explosives that blew up his car.

Similarly, Zelaya was just a single year outside the warranty- so one can assume that the rusting and the water damage didn’t just take place this year. “That’s something that started during the warranty period so if the issue starts during the warranty period and they have no incentive to check the battery even though you service it with them all the time, it doesn’t matter. It’s outside of warranty.”

Social Media’s Response To The Plight Of The Tesla Owner

Viewers of this viral video on TikTok empathized heavily with the Tesla owner.

“Scream it from the rooftops. I’ve had nothing but issues with mine.”, one user wrote. While another user commented, “You will never convince me that owning a Tesla that someone else can control is a good idea.” Another user, who believes in classic models, wrote, “A mint 2005 Honda Civic would have still been running… just saying.”[2]

Fortunately, this irritated Tesla owner was able to sell this car. In a new TikTok video, Zelaya stated that the new owner had plans of completely dismantling the car and charging it again. Zelaya captioned it with, “That’s going to be the end of my Tesla journey. It’s out of my life. Keep it out of yours.”