Federal auto safety regulators in the United States have initiated an investigation into potential defects in Tesla doors, which have reportedly left children trapped in the backseat, prompting parents to break windows to rescue them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that the preliminary investigation is centering on 2021 Tesla Model Ys after receiving nine reports indicating that the electronic door handles were inoperative, possibly due to low battery voltage.
While Tesla, led by Elon Musk, has installed manual door releases within the vehicles, the NHTSA highlighted that children may be unable to reach or operate these releases. In four of the incidents reported, parents resorted to breaking windows to free their children.
Multiple Incidents Reported
This investigation into Tesla’s most popular model follows numerous reports in recent years regarding various issues with the operation of Tesla doors. These include instances where drivers became trapped in vehicles that caught fire after accidents due to the loss of power. A notable case occurred in April when college basketball recruit Alijah Arenas claimed he was “fighting time” to escape his Tesla Cybertruck, which had caught fire after crashing into a tree. The doors were stuck, and Arenas, who was briefly in a coma following the incident, stated that he survived by using a water bottle to douse himself as smoke filled the vehicle.
In a separate case last year, the family of a Tesla Model 3 driver—who was trapped and perished in a fire—sued Tesla for negligence and fraud. The lawsuit alleges that the company failed to rectify a known design flaw in the doors despite their claims of 200 fires involving its vehicles. This case is still pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Focus of Current Investigation
The NHTSA’s current investigation is specifically examining the functionality of the electronic door locks from outside the vehicle, as this situation lacks a manual override to open the door. The NHTSA indicated it will continue to monitor reports of “entrapment” and will take additional actions as necessary. Approximately 174,300 of the midsize SUVs are covered by this investigation.
The agency noted that the incidents appear to happen when the electronic door locks do not receive sufficient voltage from the vehicle. Repair invoices suggest that batteries were replaced following such incidents. Notably, those who reported the problems did not receive any low-voltage battery warnings before the exterior door handles became non-functional.
The NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation aims to investigate the scope and severity of the problem, including associated risks. The assessment will also evaluate Tesla’s method for providing power to the door locks and the reliability of the corresponding power supplies.
Additional Investigations into Tesla Technology
In addition to the door lock investigation, Tesla is currently under scrutiny by NHTSA for its “Summon” technology, which enables drivers to command their vehicles to navigate to their position. This feature has reportedly been involved in minor accidents in parking lots. Furthermore, a separate investigation was initiated last year into driver-assistance features in 2.4 million Teslas following several crashes that occurred in fog and low-visibility conditions, including an incident resulting in a pedestrian fatality. Additionally, an investigation commenced in August to assess why Tesla has seemingly not been promptly reporting crashes to the NHTSA as mandated by federal regulations.
