‘Fiery death trap’: Most dangerous car ‘killing its passengers’
A damning new analysis has revealed horrifying details about the most deadly vehicle that’s currently on the road.
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Tesla’s flagship Cybertruck appears to be killing its passengers in fiery deaths faster than any vehicle before.
Automotive industry analysts at FuelArc have examined publicly available data after the first full year of the 3-tonne, self-driving vehicle on America’s roads.
“The Cybertruck is 17 times more likely to have a fire fatality than a Ford Pinto,” they conclude.
The Tesla Cybertruck has produced five reported fire fatalities so far. The Ford Pinto – widely renowned in the automotive industry as a fiery death trap – totalled 27 over its nine-year production run.
That’s a ratio – so far – of 14.5 deaths for every 100,000 vehicles sold for the Tesla Cybertruck. For the Ford Pinto, it was about one for every 118,000.
But the statistics are risky.
Tesla refuses to release official road safety and sales data on the basis that these may affect its share price. And the number of Cybertrucks sold in its first year appears to be about one-tenth that of total Ford Pinto sales between 1971 and 1980.
Cybertruck fire fatalities are based on just three publicly reported incidents. One crash in Piedmont, California, killed three. Another in Baytown, Texas, killed one. And the FuelArc analysts have included the Las Vegas, Nevada incident where a driver died when his Cybertruck, packed with fireworks and gas cylinders, exploded outside a Trump Hotel. Investigations revealed the terrorist had taken his own life.
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Removing that one fatality significantly alters Tesla’s statistical kill rate. But it remains greater (on statistically insignificant numbers) than the Ford Pinto.
The Ford Pinto’s horror reputation was caused by a fundamental design flaw. It placed the fuel tank outside the rear bumper structure. This left it vulnerable to being punctured by even minor collisions.
The Tesla Cybertruck has more than its fair share of critics. Most focus on its lack of impact crumple zones, incomplete self-driving software … and a particularly flammable lithium-ion battery pack.
Controversial billionaire Elon Musk, however, continues to insist his Cybertruck is “bulletproof” (That’s despite several video bloggers having opened fire on their newly purchased vehicles only to discover it isn’t).
Musk also stated that his Cybertruck saved the Trump Hotel from damage during the firework bombing attempt: “Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards”.
But his boasting then revealed that his Tesla company has the power to remotely lock and unlock any of its vehicles – whether its owner wants it or not.
“You should know where your emergency door releases are and how to operate them, and instruct your back seat passengers on the same,” a FuelArc analyst told the Futurism news service.
Despite being on US roads for more than a year, the Cybertruck is yet to undergo formal crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to determine if it meets safety standards.
In the meantime, Cybertruck owners have to pay about $5400 per year for full coverage. That’s about 45 per cent more than the national average.
Here, again, statistics can be deceptive. The Cybertruck has an exceptionally high start price of about $A128,000. A fully optioned model comes in at more than $A160,000.
That in itself bumps up the necessary insurance coverage level. And it compares favourably to other Tesla products – such as the Model Y and Model 3.
But the Cybertruck has experienced six safety recalls in its first 12 months. One involved a wobbly accelerator pedal. Another is a glitchy reversing camera. And the latest focuses on sudden losses in horsepower due to dodgy drive inverters.
“The people drawn to [the Cybertruck] don’t have quality of construction or safety at the top of mind,” automotive industry analyst Ivan Drury told WIRED.
“That this could be a dangerous vehicle to drive is key to its appeal. Nobody’s buying it to use as an actual truck.”
Now, White House “First Buddy” and “Special Government Employee” Elon Musk is being accused of using his unelected position as President Donald Trump’s hatchet man to attack the standard-setting and regulatory bodies that have been causing him grief.
Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) consultants have already included the US Labor Department in their “cost-cutting” hit list. They are seeking access to its confidential records.
The department – which controls the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – has been investigating Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX.
In one instance, SpaceX has been accused of attempting to keep the death of one of its employees a secret. Another death at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, in August is also being investigated.
Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @jamieseidel.bsky.social
Originally published as ‘Fiery death trap’: Most dangerous car ‘killing its passengers’
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