Overview
- Samuel Tremblett’s mother filed a federal wrongful-death suit alleging the 20-year-old was trapped in his burning 2021 Model Y after an October 2025 crash in Easton, Massachusetts, with a 911 transcript describing his pleas for help.
- NHTSA is investigating door malfunctions including reports of children locked inside Teslas, with more than 140 consumer complaints since 2018 and a separate request to probe Model 3 manual-release usability.
- Tesla says it is redesigning its door systems to combine electronic and manual releases and updated vehicles in December to automatically unlock after serious collisions, while the company did not comment on the new lawsuit.
- China has ordered mechanical exterior handles and interior mechanical releases on new models from January 1, 2027, effectively banning fully retractable designs, with a grace period to 2029 for previously approved models.
- Investigations have linked at least 15 deaths to inoperative Tesla doors, and a Dongfeng eπ007 crash video from 2025 showed flush handles failing to extend, forcing rescuers to break windows to extract passengers.