Overview

• Parents of Krysta Tsukahara added Tesla to their Alameda County lawsuit, and Jack Nelson’s family filed a separate case, each alleging the Cybertruck’s doors prevented escape after a November 2024 crash in Piedmont, California.
• Both complaints say the electric door buttons failed after the truck lost power, while the rear-seat mechanical backup—a cable concealed under a rubber mat—was impractical to find or use in smoke and heat.
• Three of four occupants, including Tsukahara, Nelson and driver Soren Dixon, died of smoke inhalation and burns; a bystander broke a window with a branch to pull the front passenger to safety.
• The suits cite dozens of prior incidents and contend Tesla was on notice about entrapment risks; plaintiffs seek unspecified damages including punitive awards.
• Regulatory scrutiny continues as NHTSA probes Tesla door and handle operability on certain models, and news outlets report Tesla has not issued a substantive public response to the new filings.