The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked Tesla Motors to turn over detailed records of all consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims and property damage claims as part of the government's investigation into two battery fires in electric vehicles.The nine-page letter, dated Nov. 27 and posted early Tuesday on a government website, is a standard practice for NHTSA after it opens a preliminary investigation into a safety defect — but it offers some additional insight into NHTSA’s line of investigation.
"Describe in detail all possible consequences to the vehicle from an impact to the subject component that damages the battery. Describe in detail how these possible consequences were addressed in the design of the (Model S) and the limits of that design to prevent damage to the propulsion battery, stalling and fires," said the letter signed by D. Scott Yon, NHTSA's chief of the vehicle integrity division.
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