Tesla Blames Battery-Module Fault for Causing Shanghai Auto Fire
- Company says joint probe found no `systematic defect' with car
- Fire incidents prompt concerns over EV safety in China
A worker welds a Model S sedan chassis.
Photographer: Noah Berger/Bloomberg
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Tesla Inc. said an isolated battery fault caused a Model S to catch fire in a Shanghai parking lot two months ago, as the U.S. electric-car maker tries to ease safety concerns in its second-largest market.
A joint investigation with experts and executives from China and the U.S. found no “systematic defect” with the car, Tesla said in a statement Friday. An initial finding shows a malfunction with a single battery module at the front of the vehicle caused the incident, the company said.