Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
2d ago

Tesla Door-Handle Failures Trigger Federal Probe as Owners Turn to Escape Tools

Regulators say inadequate ability to exit vehicles with electronic doors can qualify as a safety defect.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 22: Elon Musk is shown during the NCAA Division 1 wrestling national championship finals on March 22nd, 2025 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Cars are loaded on trucks outside the US car maker Tesla’s German factory near Berlin. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Overview

  • NHTSA is investigating whether doors on certain Model Y vehicles are defective after reports they would not open when power is lost.
  • Bloomberg identified more than 140 complaints to U.S. regulators since 2018 about Tesla door handles sticking, not opening, or failing after crashes.
  • Tesla’s board chair says the company is raising awareness of manual releases and examining a redesign of the backup mechanism.
  • Owners, renters and rideshare drivers are buying glass breakers and retrofit pull cords while sharing tutorials that show how to find and use manual releases.
  • Manual emergency releases vary by model and can be hard to locate, and a Consumer Reports petition urging fixes has gathered roughly 35,000 signatures.