The US government's auto safety watchdog has opened an investigation into battery fires in Tesla Model S electric cars.
The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTA) said blazes broke out in two of the cars in the US after the undercarriage hit metal road debris, piercing the batteries and causing a thermal reaction and fires.
In each case, the car warned the driver of the damage and both escaped without getting hurt.
The first US fire occurred along a highway near Seattle when a Model S struck a curved metal object which pierced the shield and the battery.
In the second case, a Model S caught fire on November 6 near Smyrna, Tennessee, after the driver struck a trailer hitch in the road.
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk says the risk of injury to drivers is extremely small Another fire was reported on October 17 in Mexico when a Model S burned after a high-speed crash.
The probe affects more than 13,000 cars from 2013 that were sold in the US. Tesla has sold about 19,000 of the cars, which can go up to 265 miles (425km) on a single charge, worldwide.
They start at $70,000 in the US - about $9,000 cheaper than the advertised on-the-road price of £49,900 in the UK, where the first vehicles are due for delivery in the Spring.
The low-slung Model S currently has a six-inch clearance between the ground and the undercarriage and the batteries are located beneath the passenger compartment and protected by a quarter-inch-thick metal shield.
The investigation could potentially lead to a recall, but a decision is likely to be months away.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a blog that the company asked the government to investigate, even though its cars catch fire at a far lower rate than petrol-powered vehicles.
He said: "While we think it is highly unlikely, 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."
He also wrote that Tesla has done an over-the-air software update to give the car more ground clearance at highway/motorway speeds.
Mr Musk said: "The theoretical probability of a fire injury is already vanishingly small, and the actual number to date is zero."
Tesla said it planned another software update in January to give the driver more control of the air suspension ride height.
According to the US Fire Administration, there are around 194,000 vehicle fires on US roads each year - with 61% starting in the engine area.
Electric vehicles make up less than 1% of the cars sold in the US.
Tesla's stock had risen by more than 400% earlier this year as the Model S won accolades from Consumer Reports and other magazines. Its share price has fallen 37% since news of the first fire was reported on October 2.
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