Nikola is recalling its Class 8 Tre battery-electric vehicles following a third-party investigation into its battery packs.
According to a news release, Nikola is recalling 209 Class 8 Tre trucks. The voluntary recall comes after preliminary findings were released regarding an investigation into a truck fire at the company’s headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., in June.
Nikola is in the process of filing the voluntary recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the meantime, the company is placing a temporary hold on new battery-electric vehicle sales until a resolution is in place.
Third-party investigator Exponent found that a coolant leak inside a single battery pack was to be the probable cause of the June truck fire. Those findings were validated by a “minor thermal incident” that affected one battery pack on a truck parked at Nikola’s Coolidge, Ariz., plant on Aug. 10. No injuries were reported in either incident.
“At Nikola we take safety very seriously,” Nikola CEO Steve Girsky said in a statement. “We stated from the beginning that as soon as our investigations were concluded we would provide an update, and we will continue our transparency as we learn more.”
On Monday morning, Nikola stock fell more than 17% upon news of the recall.
Although Tre trucks may remain in operation, Nikola encourages all owners to immediately take the following actions:
- Place the Main Battery Disconnect switch into the “ON” position at all times to enable real-time vehicle monitoring and safety systems operation
- Consider parking trucks outside to allow for over-the-air updates and better connectivity with Fleet Command, the company’s truck monitoring system
- The company’s software systems are being used in real-time to monitor trucks in the field closely and continually assess risks. Only two battery packs have experienced a thermal event, out of more than 3,100 packs on trucks produced to date.
The investigation and subsequent recall do not affect the hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Those trucks include a battery pack with a different design. LL
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