US EditionNHTSA investigating Tesla Model 3 door releases following complaints
The probe covers nearly 180,000 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles after complaints of hidden emergency door releases and a crash injury linked to insufficient electronic lock voltage.
- On December 16, 2025, NHTSA opened a defect probe into nearly 180,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles after a complaint from a man in Georgia, according to NHTSA.
- The petition alleges the mechanical emergency release is `hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency`, and NHTSA's preliminary review indicates this occurs when electronic door locks lose sufficient voltage.
- Previously, NHTSA investigated similar Model Y incidents involving nine examples where parents had to break windows, and a Bloomberg investigation this month found at least 15 fatalities linked to door egress failures.
- The inquiry, which began with the Model Y, has expanded to include the Model 3, and Tesla, Inc. did not immediately respond Friday to the latest NHTSA investigation.
- Families of Krysta Tsukahara and Jack Nelson have filed lawsuits alleging the Cybertruck design contributed to deaths in the Piedmont crash, while KTVU highlighted similar door issues shortly after.
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14 Articles
KTVU FOX 2
NHTSA investigating Tesla Model 3 door releases following complaints
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a defect investigation into Tesla's Model 3 vehicles over the car door's release and concerns the controls may not be easy to find in an emergency – the same concerns of Piedmont families whose college-age children died in a Cybertruck with the same type of door release.
The NHTSA, a U.S. road constable, has launched a preliminary investigation into nearly 180,000 Tesla Model 3 in the year 2022. In this case, emergency opening handles considered to be non-intuitive, endangering occupants in the event of a power failure or an accident. Ergonomics of the emergency in the face of all tactiles This is the kind of detail that you never think about in a concession test. Yet, knowing how to get out of your car when eve…
The U.S. automotive safety regulator opened a formal investigation into Tesla's Model 3 compact sedans, after detecting possible design flaws in emergency door release controls. The review, announced this week by the Office of Defect Investigation, covers 179,071 vehicles of model year 2022 and focuses on a critical point: whether occupants can leave the car quickly and intuitively in a risky situation. The investigation began after a defect req…
Tesla under investigation by US auto safety regulator
It looks like Elon Musk’s Tesla cannot catch a break. The U.S. auto safety regulator said on Wednesday it has opened a defect investigation into Tesla Model 3 compact sedans over concerns that emergency door release controls may not be easily accessible or clearly identifiable in an emergency. The investigation is being conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which said it is examining whether the placement, labe…
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