Tesla's Model 3 Emergency Door Release is Under New US Safety Investigation.

Tesla’s door handles are under investigation in the US after a probe was noticed by federal auto safety regulators into the emergency releases in various Model 3 vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration addressed this issue and said the claims surrounding its mechanical door release “is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to find in emergency situations,” as per the agency's website. 

This move has ordered a petition filed by the owner of Tesla in Georgia, Kevin Clouse, as according to him, he was trapped in his vehicle in 2023 and filed an investigation. NHTSA has not decided yet whether to accept or deny this petition filed by the consumer. 

This probe will be applicable to an estimated 1,79,071 Model 3 sedans manufactured in the year 2022. However, Tesla and NHTSA have not reacted to this case. This move has led to a federal examination of Tesla’s door problems which was carefully followed by Bloomberg, which shed light on the series of incidents in which people had been injured or died after becoming trapped in their Tesla cars. 

In September, NHTSA started an investigation as the doors were found defective in various Model Y SUVs with reports of children getting stuck in vehicles especially when the 12-volt battery dies. The Model 3 and Model Y are the two top selling vehicles in Tesla’s portfolio. 

Tesla is also having superior expertise specifically in electrically powered handles which can stop operating without warning, particularly after the crash. According to the Bloomberg analysis last week, there were at least 15 deaths reported in dozen incidents over the past decade where the occupants were unable to open the door of a Tesla that had been involved with fire. 

Issues with Tesla

According to various reports from Bloomberg, there were various safety issues including electric handles as Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk suggested a futuristic design during the development of Model 3, which featured manual releases to mitigate power-loss niggles. 

Cloud filed a petition last month over a 2023 incident in which he had to be kicked out of burning Model 3, when the doors were not opening. He addressed this issue with NHTSA and said, “I was forced to go to the back seat and break the rear passenger window with my legs to escape when the interior was caught on fire.”