As you may remember, we reported on a few mysterious Tesla fires earlier this year. In fact, people were confusing the two incidents since they happened around the same time. This story is a follow-up on the Tesla Model Y that caught fire in May 2022, in Vancouver, Canada. The EV's power failed, and the driver broke the window to successfully escape.
Many of the news reports surrounding the Tesla Model Y fire assumed it was another EV battery fire, and the NHTSA requested details about the fire, though investigators hadn't yet confirmed the cause of the flames. Transport Canada opened up a lengthy investigation into the incident, tearing apart the burned-up Model Y electric crossover. According to Drive Tesla Canada, the authorities also invited Tesla and others to help with the investigation.
Thus far, it has been determined that – despite the headlines stating that it was the Tesla's high-voltage battery pack that caused the fire – the battery pack wasn't the culprit. The fire started slowly, and the initial flames and smoke were in an area that isn't very near the Model Y's skateboard-style pack. The fire was also relatively easy to extinguish, which isn't often the case with an EV battery pack fire.
Transport Canada has had two joint inspections with multiple experts from within and from the outside. Moreover, folks from Tesla were also on hand to analyze the EV. While they haven't come to a final decision, they have determined that the fire started within the left side of the dashboard, “in the vicinity of the left body control module.”
This makes perfect sense since the Model Y owner previously shared that he noticed smoke coming from the HVAC vent on the driver's side of the car. Now that the investigators have figured out where the fire likely started, and it matches the owner's report, they will hone in on that area of the Model Y to glean more details.
Transport Canada told Drive Tesla Canada that it will shift its efforts to dissecting the Model Y's instrument panel, steering column, and left body control module. In addition, the authorities removed the EV's computer in hopes of getting some additional data.
