Feds Investigating Cybertruck That Caught Fire, Burning Driver Beyond Recognition

The fire even burned off the Cybertruck's VIN.

Burn Notice

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probing a Tesla Cybertruck fire that left the driver burned beyond recognition, Reuters reports, piling on more bad news for a vehicle that's already been plagued with recalls and reports of shoddy work since its launch.

The fiery incident, believed to be the first fatal crash of a Cybertruck, occurred early Monday morning in the Texas city of Baytown when the Cybertruck swerved off the road and crashed into a concrete culvert, according to local outlet KHOU 11, sparking a fire that engulfed the driver.

Local authorities couldn't immediately identify the charred remains of the person in the driver seat, and the fire was so fierce that it burned off the brutalist pickup's vehicle identification number.

The cause of the vehicle crash is also still uncertain. Confusingly, cops told a local news source that they're investigating whether the vehicle had Autopilot engaged at the time of the crash — but as far as we can tell, the Cybertruck has yet to receive Tesla Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, though CEO Elon Musk has been promising that the futuristic truck will get self-driving features soon. But then again, the crash happened just a few hours from Tesla's headquarters in Austin, so it's also possible that the Cybertruck was being driven by an employee with early access to the feature.

Total Recall

This isn't the first time the NHTSA is investigating a crash involving Tesla. It's already been looking into hundreds of incidents involving the company's Autopilot feature, at least 13 of which were fatal.

The Cybertruck has also been subject to four recalls since it became commercially available last year, the latest being for problems with exterior trim pieces falling off and the vehicle's comically-large windshield wiper not working.

Besides its four recalls, the Cybertruck has been plagued with numerous reports about it breaking down or the vehicle injuring its owners, not to mention its numerous delays in production.

Musk was widely quoted telling investors last year that "we dug our own grave with Cybertruck," anticipating its rocky debut. With this year's earlier layoffs at Tesla and the federal investigations, it might have been one time that he successfully predicted the future.

More on the Cybertruck: First Cybertruck Ambulance Has One Small Problem: Nowhere to Put the Patient