Tesla Model Y in Canada suffers power failure before going up in flames

Vancouver, CANADA - A Tesla Model Y owner found himself in a near death situation when his electric car suffered a power failure and shut itself down, before catching fire. Lucky for its owner, who escaped by climbing out the window.

The Model Y owner of eight months, Jamil Jutha had no choice but to break the window before escaping the soon-to-be engulfed in flames electric car.

Tesla's vehicles do have an emergency release that will open the doors in an event of a power failure. However, Jutha told CTV News that he couldn't figure out how the emergency release worked during his high-pressure situation, "It just said error, error, error. My doors wouldn't open.

The windows wouldn't go down. I kicked through the window, climbed out, and called 911 right away." Thankfully, the Model Y driver walked away unscathed.

A 12-minute video was released on YouTube racking up over 70,000 views where the Model Y can be seen around the two-minute mark starting to catch fire.

What to do if your Tesla catches fire

If you're in the car, get out and put at least 20 metres between you and the car. If you're on a highway, immediately find a safe place to stand i.e. behind the guardrails/barriers - do not stay on the tarmac!

Call the fire department immediately at 995 - runaway lithium ion battery events can result in large fires that spread extremely quickly.

Because EVs have large lithium ion batteries, we do not recommend trying to put out the fire yourself unless 1. The fire is small and 2. You have plenty of water or a proper fire extinguisher on hand.

When towing an EV or Tesla

Never transport the vehicle with the tires in a position where they can spin as the rear motor in the Model Y can generate power. Always ensure that all four tires are off of the ground and are unable to spin at any time during transport.

This news isn't the first time Tesla cars have come under the spotlight. Previously, its Autopilot assistance system was under a safety probe, and a couple of weeks ago, the American automotive company recalled US delivered EVs over a malfunctioning seat belt alert issue.

ALSO READ: Mercedes-Benz warns of potential fires in 800,000 vehicles

This article was first published in CarBuyer.