Tesla Model S Fire in France Traced to Loose Electrical Connection
A Tesla Model S P90D caught fire during a test drive in France, with the company attributing the incident to a manually tightened electrical connection that failed.
Tesla has completed its investigation into the Model S P90D fire that occurred during a test drive event in France, concluding that an improperly tightened electrical connection was to blame. The incident took place in August 2016, with the vehicle catching fire shortly after a warning appeared on the dashboard.
The car, which was being demonstrated at a promotional event, began emitting loud noises and displayed a 'problem with charging' message. A Tesla employee riding along instructed the driver and other passenger to stop and exit the vehicle. Moments later, the car caught fire. No one was injured in the incident.
Manual assembly blamed for fault
Tesla's investigation found that the electrical connection responsible for the fire had been tightened by hand rather than by the usual robotic process. According to the company, this was an isolated case and there have been no similar failures in other Model S vehicles. Tesla's French communications manager stated that the manual installation was unique to this particular car.
Previous Model S fire incidents
Tesla Model S fires have previously been linked to crash damage or, in one case, a short circuit in the car’s distribution boxes while charging at a Supercharger. After earlier fire incidents, Tesla added extra underbody protection to the Model S to mitigate the risk of battery damage in collisions. For more on a previous fire, seeTesla Owner Stands by Brand After Tennessee Model S Fire.
The French test drive fire is distinct from those earlier events, as it was not caused by external impact or charging faults, but by an assembly error affecting a single vehicle.
