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Tesla owner left in shock as car gets stuck at 83mph on freeway

Tesla owner left in shock as car gets stuck at 83mph on freeway
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A Southern California man was left scrambling after his Tesla Model 3 suddenly stopped working while he was driving nearly 80 mph down the freeway.

Javier Rodriguez, an Irvine resident, said he realized something was wrong when it became hot inside the car while driving on the 10 freeway in Cabazon, according to ABC 7.

Rodriguez tried to turn on the air when he noticed everything inside the car had stopped responding- including the main screen, hazard lights, turn signals, and other switches.

The car continued to drive, however, the accelerator did not seem to work.

"I was nervous that if I were to break a whole lot that I wouldn't be able to gain the speed again to keep up with traffic and get around cars," Rodriguez told ABC 7. "I was nervous somebody would slam into me."

Luckily the Tesla Model 3's breaks did work and Rodriguez was able to pull over and wait for the car to reboot.

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The scary incident is a reminder that technology is not entirely foolproof and its important drivers are alert and paying attention the road even if autopilot is on.

Rodriguez was able to get off the freeway with assistance from the California Highway Patrol where he had his car towed.

The man was shaken from the experience but says he was not offered a great explanation as to why the incident occurred. Tesla diagnosed his vehicle with "poor communication from charge port door causing power conversion system to shut off in order to protect on board components during drive."

Despite the problem seemingly being fixed, Rodriguez wants a better explanation.

We reached out to Tesla for comment.

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