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(The article was first published by Finansavisen):
Tesla is again under scrutiny in the United States after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation related to emergency solutions in some Model 3 cars, according to Bloomberg.
The agency considers claims that the mechanical emergency trigger “is hidden, not marked and not intuitive to find in an emergency”.
Had to kick myself out
The case stems from a petition filed by Tesla owner Kevin Clouse in Georgia, who claims he was locked in his car in 2023 and requested a defect investigation.
According to Clouse, after a collision in 2023, he had to kick himself out of his burning Model 3.
– I was not aware of where the hidden mechanical emergency release was, because it is not visibly marked, not explained at delivery and not intuitive in an emergency situation, he says in the complaint to NHTSA.
– I was forced to climb to the back seat and break the rear side window with my legs to get out while the interior was on fire.
NHTSA states that it has not decided whether to grant or reject the petition.
The investigation covers an estimated 179,071 Model 3 sedans of the 2022 model year. Neither Tesla nor NHTSA immediately responded to requests for comment.
Crystal clear Musk
The initiative comes after Bloomberg has investigated Tesla’s door problems over several months. Bloomberg has reported incidents where people were seriously injured or died after being trapped in Teslas.
In September, NHTSA opened an investigation into whether the doors are defective in some Model Y SUVs, following reports of children getting stuck when the 12-volt battery dies.
Model 3 and Model Y are clearly Tesla’s best-selling cars.
According to the news agency, some engineers at Tesla warned of possible safety hazards with electrical systems in the door handles, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk is said to have been crystal clear that almost everything – including the doors – should be controlled electrically via a push of a button or a tap on a screen. Musk is said to have admired how Apple had created a simple, software-controlled screen interface that was easy to use.
Afterwards, some of the consequences have become clear. Tesla’s doors are powered by a low-voltage battery that can stop working, especially after collisions, which could hinder rescue efforts or trap people who don’t know about or have access to mechanical emergency releases.
Incidents of malfunctioning doors, in some cases contributing to serious injuries, have led to hundreds of consumer complaints to NHTSA.
15 died
Tesla claims door-related issues are industry-wide and not unique. At the same time, the company is considering changes, such as disabling door locks automatically when the battery voltage drops, and releasing the doors in the minutes before the battery dies, according to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg has also tried to quantify the extent of fatal accidents where the function of the doors played a role. The review found at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents over the past decade in the United States in which people or rescuers failed to open the doors of a Tesla that had crashed and caught fire.
More than half of the deaths in Bloomberg’s review occurred after November 2024.
