Tesla Under Investigation for Alleged Attempt to Hide Fire-Prone Batteries

And, according to a petition from one Edward Chen, a consumer attorney representing Tesla owner David Rasmussen, Tesla was throttling these batteries to prevent fires from starting. This, of course, was unbeknownst to users. According to Chen’s letter, some previous updates suddenly lowered the charge length of batteries in the aforementioned models in an attempt to prevent the fires from starting. However, this wasn’t a good enough fix, claims Chen, meaning that the risk is still very much there. Now, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the batteries alongside the updates to see what the risk really is. Depending on what they find, Tesla may be forced to recall the batteries. According to CNBC, Tesla is doing what it can to lower any and all manufacturing costs for its batteries. As a result, this could have lead to cheaper parts and rushed manufacturing which lead to these types of defects. Overall, 2,000 vehicles have been affected, with models ranging anywhere from 2012 to 2019. Also, Chen notes that dozens of cars have already been set on fire over the last six years. On top of all of this, there’s also the issue of Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, which the NHTSA has already been made aware of. Spread via social media, the Administration is taking a look at cars to examine why they are hitting things during the self-driving mode despite Tesla’s claims that sensors should prevent that.

So, @elonmusk – My first test of Smart Summon didn't go so well. @Tesla #Tesla #Model3 pic.twitter.com/yC1oBWdq1I

— Roddie – راضي (@eiddor) September 28, 2019

What do you think about Tesla cars potentially starting on fire? How about the recent Smart Summoning issues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

---

Images are courtesy of Twitter, Shutterstock.