Your Toyota SUV May Have A Fire Risk: Here’s What You Need To Know
03/01/21 AT 1:31 PM
Several models of a popular Toyota (TM) SUV are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a possible fire risk that could stem from the battery.
The investigation involves Toyota’s 2013 to 2018 RAV4 SUVs. The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation said it received 11 complaints and had additional data that a fire occurred on the left side of the vehicles’ engine compartment.
According to the agency, the majority of the thermal events occurred when driving, with four taking place when the vehicles’ ignition was off. Drivers of the RAV4s experienced a stalling of the SUV before the fires occurred half of the time and while the vehicle was in motion.
Nearly 2 Million Toyota RAV4s Are Under Investigation Over Fire Risk ++ It seems that the battery can short and cause a fire.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation investigation into the 2013 through 2018 Toyota RAV4 because of a risk of fire. If this becomes a full recall, then it could affect an estimated 1,862,103 units of the popular crossover.
The official document says that the problem appears to be that B+ terminal of the battery can short against the hold-down frame, and this can result in a fire or cause the vehicle to stall.
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1.9 Million Toyota RAV4 SUVs Investigated Over 12-Volt Battery Fire Events 1 Mar 2021, 18:09 UTC ·
by 12 photos
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Office of Defects Investigation has received 11 complaints and EWR data alleging “a non-crash thermal event originating in the left side of the engine compartment.” That’s where the 12-volt battery is, which is why the NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation.
The fourth generation of the RAV4, offered between the 2013 and 2018 model years, is the culprit.
“A majority of thermal events occurred during driving conditions,” said the federal agency,
“with four thermal events taking place with the ignition off.” Prior to the fiery incidents, some of the affected drivers have experienced stalling while the vehicle was in motion.
U.S. auto safety regulators have launched an investigation into the most popular SUV in America over a potential fire risk.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration s Office of Defects Investigation revealed that it has opened a probe into the 2013-18 model-year Toyota RAV4, covering more than 1.86 million vehicles.
The agency reported in an investigative filing that it had received 11 complaints and additional data alleging a non-crash thermal event originating in the left side of the engine compartment of the RAV4.
Most of the incidents happened while the RAV4 was being driven, but four happened when the vehicle was off.
Musk Keeps Sparring With Regulators as Biden Builds Cabinet
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(Bloomberg) Elon Musk has a long history of run-ins with the local, state and federal officials who oversee his growing empires at Tesla Inc. and SpaceX. The world’s richest person shows no signs of changing his ways as U.S. President Joe Biden takes office and bolsters the regulatory agencies defanged by his predecessor.
In the past week alone, Musk has tangled with the Federal Aviation Administration over a December rocket test flight that ended in flames and begrudgingly agreed to recall some Tesla cars at highway-safety officials’ urging. And while he announced Tuesday he was taking a break from Twitter the platform that previously got him fined by the Securities and Exchange Commission Musk had already used his favorite social-media megaphone in the preceding days to roil stocks of companies from Etsy Inc. to Shopify Inc. during a retail-trading frenzy.