If true, that would be disconcerting to current and potential owners of the model s. If all it takes to turn your $100k car into a paperweight is a little more than a well placed piece of scrap metal on the highway people might be hesitant to buy this generation of their cars.

That is a bit hyperbolic. My father has had his transmission destroyed in a two year old car because of a bolt flying off of the road. Debris on the road is bad regardless of what fuels your vehicle.

Presumably these people have insurance on their 100k cars. Running over scrap metal isn't exactly good for other cars either.