Tesla Fires: NHTSA Will Probe, Warranty To Cover Fire Damage, Ride-Height TweakTesla Fires: NHTSA Will Probe, Warranty To Cover Fire Damage, Ride-Height Tweak

It’s been quite a month for Tesla Motors and its CEO, Elon Musk.
In the wake of three fires in Model S electric luxury sedans, a tsunami of media coverage about those fires, and a falling stock price–which may or may not be directly related–the company went on the offensive yesterday.
MORE: Tesla Fires: What We Know, And What We Need To Find Out
Musk posted a long message on the company’s website, saying that Tesla was taking three separate actions to address the fires and the public perceptions of Model S safety.
First, he wrote, the company will update the software on Model S cars to increase their ride height at highway speeds. The goal is to reduce the potential severity of underbody impacts from road debris–which is thought to be the cause of at least two of the three fires.
Tesla Model S fire near Smyrna, Tennessee, Nov 2013 (image: Instagram – Davanh)
Second, Musk said Tesla requested the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate the fires as soon as possible.
This would have been a smart move.
Unfortunately, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland told a House panel today that, in fact, Tesla had not made such a request.
According to The Detroit News, Strickland said his agency made an independent decision to investigate 13,100 Model S cars on U.S. roads.
MORE: NHTSA Launches Formal investigation Of Tesla Model S Fires
Finally, Musk wrote, Tesla will expand its Model S warranty to cover all damage from any vehicle fires.
The note from Musk contains the following phrase, one perhaps never before issued by any automaker: “Unless a Model S owner actively tries to destroy the car, they are covered.”
This one too seems like a smart move, as a kind of insurance policy that very few owners will ever have to take advantage of.
There will undoubtedly be more to come in the ever-evolving Tesla saga–but that’s today’s update.
What’s your reaction to all the Tesla drama?
Leave us your thoughts in the Comments below.
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