Fire is the last thing you want to see in a car, it doesn’t matter if its powered by batteries or gasoline. It can wreak havoc and cause grave injury, and in order to safeguard owners against any such unfortunate event, Tesla has issued a recall of 29,222 power adapters of its 2013 Model S electric car, citing potential fire hazard. In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla says that the NEMA 14-50 adapters used to 240-volt recharging of the Model S vehicle can overheat, which could cause a number of problems such as melted adapters and “in a worst-case scenario, fire.”
Interestingly, the adapters aren’t exactly being recalled in this “recall,” the NHTSA has listed it as such. Tesla says that the problem in these adapters will be managed through an over-the-air software update, which means that owners don’t have to take their vehicles to a dealership. The update will probably improve voltage regulation, which will reduce resistance and prevent the adapters from heating up. Tesla has developed a new NEMA 14-20 adapter that has an integrated thermal fuse, it acts as a physical cutoff to prevent damage should the adapter get too hot. This is separate from the software update, which according to the company, “fully addresses the issue.”
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