Struggling with its third vehicle fire in two months, the upstart electric automaker is now facing a new challenge – the wrath of Hollywood actor George Clooney.

“I had a Tesla,” Clooney told Esquire magazine. “I was one of the first cats with a Tesla. I think I was, like, No. 5 on the list. But I’m telling you, I’ve been on the side of the road a while in that thing, and I said to them, ‘Look, guys, why am I always stuck on the side of the f*#@ing road? Make it work, one way or another.’”

Naturally, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded – via Twitter, one of his preferred outlets.

“In other news, George Clooney reports that his iPhone 1 had a bug back in ’07,” Musk retorted.

Clooney was an early Tesla adopter, but it doesn’t sound as if the star of “Gravity” will be buying a new Model S any time soon. However, it’s not the recent rash of vehicle fires that is scaring of Clooney, but rather the unreliability of his old Roadster.

Clooney didn’t elaborate on the cause of his Roadster woes.

Clooney auctioned off his Roadster last year, generating an estimated $99,000 for charity. Tesla has since discontinued the Roadster and now only sells the Model S.

Although certainly not as pressing as the recent Model S fires, it is interesting to hear a Hollywood A-lister (a crowd that now favors the electric automaker over marques like Mercedes and BMW) speak illy of Tesla. The Roadster – which was Tesla’s first product – wasn’t without its faults, though, as several customers complained of the electric sports car “bricking” if the batteries weren’t properly charged.

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