When it comes to extending the warranty on the sedan, Musk says his decision will apply to Tesla models and be applicable even if the driver is held to be a fault for the fire. he has previously said he does not expect that the Model S will need to be recalled over the fires. There are now substantially more than the 19,000 Model S vehicles on the road that were reported in our Q3 shareholder letter for an average of one fire per at least 6,333 cars, compared to the rate for gasoline vehicles of one fire per 1,350 cars. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/I0PQdJ Elon Musk CEO of Tesla with a new Model S car outside the Tesla customer deliver area at the Tesla Fremont, Calif., factory (Photo: Jessica Brandi Lifland for USA TODAY) 
 
 "Since the Model S went into production mid last year, there have been over 400 deaths and 1,200 serious injuries in the United States alone due to gasoline car fires, compared to zero deaths and zero injuries due to Tesla fires anywhere in the world." The steps were: 
 
 •Higher ground clearance to make them less likely to strike road debris that can potentially penetrate the battery pack and ignite a blaze. Further Actions 
 
 While we believe the evidence is clear that there is no safer car on the road than the Model S, we are taking three specific actions. PHOTOS: Tesla Model S 
 
 The automaker is taking advantage of the car’s electronic capabilities to execute a wireless update to the air suspension that will result in greater ground clearance at highway speeds, Musk said. To be clear, this is about reducing the chances of underbody impact damage, not improving safety. “The theoretical probability of a fire injury is already vanishingly small and the actual number to date is zero.” 
 
 Another software update expected in January will give the driver direct control of the air suspension ride height transitions. VPC 
 
 The electric car maker has sent through a software change to make its cars ride higher 
 
 In this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 photo provided by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, emergency workers respond to a fire on a Tesla Model S electric car in Smyrna, Tenn. (Photo: AP) Story Highlights The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a probe into Tesla's Model S 
 
 The probe of the electric car results from reports of battery fires 
 
 Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he stands behind the car, but has ordered changes 
 
 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today it has opened a formal investigation into the safety of the Tesla Model S electric car following two reports of battery fires after striking roadway debris. However, there is a larger issue at stake: if a false perception about the safety of electric cars is allowed to linger, it will delay the advent of sustainable transport and increase the risk of global climate change, with potentially disastrous consequences worldwide. “In regards to Tesla, the agency notified the automaker of its plans to open a formal investigation and requested their cooperation," the agency said, "which is standard agency practice for all investigations.” 
 
 Tesla is already taking action, changing its warranty to cover damage due to a fire, even if due to driver error. “Either our belief in the safety of our car is correct and this is a minor cost," Musk said, "or we are wrong, in which case the right thing is for Tesla to bear the cost rather than the car buyer.” 
 
 The automaker believes the warranty change, which doesn’t apply if an owner purposefully sets the car on fire, will reassure buyers.]
– Tesla is facing more scrutiny following three car fires in six weeks. First, investors launched a lawsuit; now, the government is getting involved, USA Today reports. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now investigating two of the fires, both of which occurred after Model S undercarriages hit debris on the road (the other happened during a crash). In a blog post, CEO Elon Musk says his company asked for the investigation and writes that "if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars." But the NHTSA tells the LAT a different story: "The agency notified the automaker of its plans to open a formal investigation and requested their cooperation, which is standard agency practice for all investigations." Musk also says the company will increase the cars' ground clearance to help prevent them from hitting debris, and warranties will start covering fire damage, even in the event of driver error, "to reinforce how strongly we feel about the low risk of fire in our cars." To that end: "We believe the evidence is clear that there is no safer car on the road than the Model S," Musk notes. "Since the Model S went into production mid last year, there have been more than a quarter million gasoline car fires in the United States alone, resulting in over 400 deaths and 1,200 serious injuries ... compared to zero deaths and zero injuries due to Tesla fires. The media coverage of Model S fires vs. gasoline car fires is disproportionate by several orders of magnitude, despite the latter actually being far more deadly."