Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents.

In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation:

"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. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention."

Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency. Tesla says that this is aimed at reducing the chances of underbody impact damage, not improving safety per se, as it is satisfied with the car's safety performance. The company was keen to point out that the theoretical probability of a fire injury in one of their cars is already incredibly small, and that no one has been injured in a fire involving a Tesla vehicle to date. A later software update in January will also give the driver the option of controlling the ride height manually.

In addition, Tesla has amended their warranty policy to cover damage due to a fire, even if the fire occurs due to driver error. About the only exception to the warranty is that it will be void if a driver tries to intentionally destroy the car.

Musk also noted the following:

"Since the Model S went into production last year, there have been more than a quarter million gasoline car fires in the United States alone, resulting in over 400 deaths and approximately 1,200 serious injuries (extrapolating 2012 NFPA data). However, the three Model S fires, which only occurred after very high-speed collisions and caused no serious injuries or deaths, received more national headlines than all 250,000+ gasoline fires combined."

By Jay Ramey