- The National Transportation Safety Board did not offer any reasons why a Tesla Model S sedan suddenly caught fire in June in a preliminary report it released on Tuesday about the incident.
- A Tesla spokesperson said the company is continuing to investigate the incident, but has found so far that the vehicle's battery architecture was able to keep the fire contained to a single module within the battery.
- The Model S fire first drew attention after the actress Mary McCormack — whose husband, British director Michael Morris, was driving the vehicle — shared a video of it on Twitter.
- In its report, the NTSB said the incident caused no injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board did not offer any reasons why a Tesla Model S sedan suddenly caught fire in June in a preliminary report it released on Tuesday about the incident.
The report provides a detailed timeline of the events that followed the moment when the car, which was on the road in Los Angeles, began emitting smoke. The report does not, however, include any information that provides insight into the fire's possible cause. It can take 12 to 24 months for the NTSB to release full reports about investigations.
A Tesla spokesperson said the company is continuing to investigate the incident, but has found so far that the vehicle's battery architecture was able to keep the fire contained to a single module within the battery.
"The cabin was totally unaffected by the fire, and our customer had more than four minutes to exit the vehicle before any flames appeared. We’re glad our customer is safe," the spokesperson said.
The Model S fire first drew attention after the actress Mary McCormack — whose husband, British director Michael Morris, was driving the vehicle — shared a video of it on Twitter. In the video, fire can be seen beneath the vehicle's front left tire.
"No accident, out of the blue, in traffic on Santa Monica Blvd. Thank you to the kind couple who flagged him down and told him to pull over. And thank god my three little girls weren’t in the car with him," she wrote.
In its preliminary report, the NTSB says the incident didn't cause any injuries.
Tesla has had a contentious relationship with the agency in the past year. After the NTSB began investigating a Model X SUV that crashed into a highway barrier in March while Autopilot — Tesla's semi-autonomous driver-assistance system — was engaged, the company and agency clashed over Tesla's decision to reveal information about the fatal crash on its blog.
As a result, Tesla is no longer a party to the agency's investigation, though the company said it would continue to assist the agency. Each side disagreed over who ended Tesla's party status. The NTSB said it revoked it, while Tesla said it voluntarily chose to remove itself from the party agreement.
The agency is also investigating a fatal Model S crash from May in which the vehicle caught fire after it crashed into a concrete wall.
Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@jkmperu.com.
