Nikola truck recall: fire risk

Home > Industry Analysis > Content

【Summary】Nikola Corp. is recalling all 209 battery-powered electric trucks due to a coolant leak inside the battery pack causing fires. The company is suspending sales and contacting dealers and customers. Preliminary findings show no foul play or external factors. Efforts are underway to provide a remedy.

FutureCar Staff Aug 14, 2023 4:15 PM PT

Nikola Corp. has announced that it is recalling all of its battery-powered electric trucks and suspending sales following an investigation into recent fires. The investigation found that a coolant leak inside a battery pack was the cause of the fires.

According to a spokesperson for Nikola, there are currently 209 battery-powered electric trucks in the marketplace between dealers and customers. The company is in the process of recalling these vehicles and is reaching out to all parties involved.

The preliminary findings of the investigation were confirmed by a "minor thermal incident" on one pack of a parked engineering-validation truck. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident.

Nikola stated that foul play or other external factors were unlikely to have caused the incident. The company is now working on providing a remedy for the issue.

The investigation was initially launched in June after trucks at the company's Phoenix, Arizona headquarters caught fire. One damaged truck, which was being monitored at the Phoenix site, re-ignited last month.