The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) to provide more information regarding the two recent Model S fires in the U.S. Deepa Seetharaman of Reuters reports that the agency has requested consumer complaint records, claims of property damage and other information. Regulators also want to see more details about modifications Tesla has made to the Model S and engineering drawings.
Regulators examine Tesla’s battery pack
The automaker has until Jan. 14 to pass over the information to the NHTSA. This request is pretty routine in the course of investigation into possible safety defects of vehicles.
The two Model S fires which happened in the U.S. both occurred after the drivers ran over a piece of metal in the road. That piece of metal punctured the battery compartment, thus sparking the fire. The NHTSA reportedly requested that Tesla motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) explain the potential consequences to a damaged battery pack in the Model S and also describe how they addressed the issue. Regulators also want Tesla to explain the limits of their design in preventing “damage to the propulsion, battery, stalling and fires.”
Tesla rebounds after German investigation
Shares of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) fell 25% since their peak in September after three fiery crashes in the Model S. Two were in the U.S., and the third was in Mexico. German regulators conducted their own investigation into those fires, and on Monday it was revealed that they had found no defects with the Model S and would not issue a recall. CEO Elon Musk expects a similar decision from U.S. regulators.
In addition to the announcement about the German investigation, analysts also issued positive reports on Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) on Tuesday, with Morgan Stanley analysts saying that the automaker was their top pick of all the auto companies they cover. Shares of Tesla closed the trading day on Tuesday with a 16.53% gain. They rose nearly 1% in premarket trading this morning as well.
