A Tesla owner says he was locked out of his electric car after the battery died — an issue that he says would cost over $20,000 to fix

The owner of a Model S said he was locked out of his car after the battery died, and that it would cost $20,000 to fix.

Last week, Mario Zelaya posted a video on TikTok that got over 15 million views. He said that the car wouldn't reply to a charge.

Zelaya said in the video that the car was a piece of garbage. He bought the car for $140,000.

Zelaya did not reply to a request for comment from Insider.

He said he didn't have time to remove the front bumper or go in through the tire well.

The Toronto-based owner of the electric car company posted pictures of a service estimate on his website. A replacement battery for the electric car would cost more than $21,000 in Canadian and US dollars, according to the estimate.

The document the owner shared on TikTok shows that the car ran for over 80,000 miles. The batteries of the company are supposed to last for 300,000 to 500,000 miles before they need to be replaced. According to last year's report, owners of the electric car have received replacement estimates between $20,000 and $30,000.

Zelaya said in a video that he took the car toTesla after he received a warning that the EV battery could catch fire. The issue would not be covered by a warranty, he said.

Zelaya said that the Model S battery had rusted because the air conditioning unit's drain hose was positioned over the battery case.

Zelaya said he was able to sell the car after he paid $30 for new ownership papers. The TikTok shows the new owner opening the bumper to get into the car.

Zelaya said in the video that he would be ending his journey. It's out of my mind. You should keep it out of your house.

It's not the first time that owners of the electric car company have voiced concerns. A man from Finland filmed a video of himself blowing up his car after he found a cheaper battery for his car. The man's battery was damaged by water.

There have been thousands of complaints about the service centers. Insider reported last year that drivers were using social media to report issues with their new cars, such as poor paint jobs and missing panels.

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