Tesla Motors is investigating a report of a fire in a Model S that was parked in a garage in Canada. This time the vehicle wasn’t even plugged in at the time of the fire.
The incident occurred in Toronto earlier this month shortly after the owner of the four-month old Model S returned home. He parked the car in his garage as usual without any apparent incident, and then a short time later his fire alarm went off and he called the fire department. They fire department was able to put out the fire.
Tesla sent a team of seven employees out to Toronto, Canada to investigate the incident and speak with the owner. At this point, a cause has not yet been determined, but they have been able to rule out several specific components. Since the battery, charging system, adapter and electrical receptacle were not damaged by fire, they’ve been ruled out as having any part in the incident.
Back in November, a Tesla Model S that was charging in a garage in Irvine, California caught fire. In that case, it was determined that the problem wasn’t with the car, but with the wiring in the owner’s house.
Tesla released a software update to vehicles shortly after that incident that would help prevent similar fires in the future. That update reduces the charging current by 25 percent if it detects fluctuations in the power source.
Other Tesla fires have been caused by vehicles being involved in collisions with road debris, sometimes at high speeds, but in all cases the owners were able to safely exit their vehicles.
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.