Tesla Model S car fires get federal investigation
<span class="loc"> DETROIT </span> The U.S. government's auto safety watchdog has opened an investigation into battery fires in Tesla Model S electric cars.
The National Highway Traffic Administration says fires broke out in two of the cars in the U.S. after the undercarriage hit metal road debris. The debris pierced the batteries and caused a thermal reaction and fires. In each case, the car warned the driver of the damage, and both escaped without getting hurt.
The probe affects more than 13,000 cars from the 2013 model year that were sold in the U.S. Tesla has sold about 19,000 of the cars worldwide. They start at $70,000 but often run more than $100,000.
Tesla's batteries are located beneath the passenger compartment and protected by a quarter-inch-thick metal shield. Experts say that if the batteries are damaged, that can cause arcing and sparks and touch off a fire.
NHTSA, in documents posted on its website Tuesday, said it opened the preliminary evaluation "to examine the potential risks associated with undercarriage strikes" on the Tesla cars. The investigation could lead to a recall, but a decision likely is months away.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a blog posting that the company asked the government to investigate, even though its cars catch fire at a far lower rate than gas-powered vehicles.
"While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars," Musk wrote.
He also wrote that Tesla has done an over-the-air software update to give the car more ground clearance at highway speeds.
Musk wrote that at first, a NHTSA investigation didn't seem like a good use of the agency's time given the higher frequency of gasoline-powered car fires. But he changed his mind. "If a false perception about the safety of electric cars is allowed to linger, it will delay the advent of sustainable transport and increase the risk of global climate change, with potentially disastrous consequences worldwide. That cannot be allowed to happen," Musk wrote.
He has said previously that the car won't be recalled.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla's stock rose more than 400 percent earlier in the year as the Model S won accolades from Consumer Reports and other magazines. But it has fallen 37 percent since news of the first fire was reported on Oct. 2.
Its shares fell almost 4 percent, or $4.38, to $117.20 in premarket trading Tuesday.
The first U.S. fire occurred along a freeway in Kent, Wash., near Seattle when a Model S struck a curved metal object which pierced the shield and the battery. In the second case, a Model S caught fire Nov. 6 near Smyrna, Tenn., after the driver struck a trailer hitch in the road. Another fire was reported Oct. 17 in Mexico when a Model S burned after a high-speed crash.
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