NHTSA said the two fires that occurred in the U.S. include one involving a vehicle with no Supercharging history that was driving when the fire occurred and another in which the origin of the fire was external to the high-voltage battery. The fifth fire, which NHTSA said also originated external to the high-voltage battery, involved a vehicle in Germany.
NHTSA is currently in the midst of an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system and a dozen collisions at crash scenes involving first-responder vehicles.
The agency opened the formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system after almost a dozen collisions at crash scenes involving first-responder vehicles, stepping up its scrutiny of a system the carmaker has offered for the last half decade.
The probe covers an estimated 765,000 Tesla Model Y, X, S and 3 vehicles from the 2014 model year onward. The regulator — which has the power to deem cars defective and order recalls — said it launched the investigation after 11 crashes that resulted in 17 injuries and one fatality.
Automotive News reporter Audrey LaForest contributed to this story.
