For example, just off of a Dallas thoroughfare last month, a Tesla Model S "erupted like a flamethrower" and started "shooting flames", according to a new article by the Washington Post. 

The flames happened after the driver heard "metallic bangs", which he described as the sound of "if you were to drop an axle of a normal car" on the ground. He pulled the car off the road and, while standing by, watched it ignite in flames near the front passenger side wheel. 

"This was shooting out like a flamethrower," said the driver, Usmann Ahmad. 

Experts say that a growing number of combustion incidents with older Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles could be a cause for concern. It raises specific questions about the "safety and durability" of Tesla vehicle. Ahmad's fire is being investigated by the NHTSA.

The lawsuit that prompted an earlier, ongoing NHTSA probe about Tesla battery fires alleged an "alarming number of car fires" that appeared to be spontaneous.