US EditionUS auto safety agency probes Tesla Model 3 emergency door release
The investigation covers 179,071 Model Year 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles after reports of hidden, unlabeled emergency door releases linked to at least 15 deaths, NHTSA said.
- Recently, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a defect investigation into whether door issues kept people from exiting Model Ys and asked Tesla for consumer complaints and crash reports.
- Bloomberg's review found at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents where occupants or rescuers could not open Tesla doors after crashes and fires, with more than half occurring since November of 2024, including crashes from 2024 and 2025.
- The vehicles' 12‑volt battery powers the electric handles, and in crashes it can fail, while some Tesla Model 3 and Model Y lack or hide rear-seat manual backup releases.
- Tesla's website says doors will auto‑unlock after collisions, but a footnote notes this may not apply to all builds or regions, while owners buy glass breakers and third‑party accessories.
- Tesla's design team says Franz von Holzhausen is redesigning door handles to combine electric and manual releases, authorities in China and Europe consider rule changes, and NHTSA warns exit failures could prompt recalls.
56 Articles
56 Articles
Tesla Inc door handles face new scrutiny in the United States after federal automotive security regulators opened an investigation into emergency opening mechanisms in certain Model 3 vehicles.The National Road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is assessing claims that the door opening mechanism "is hidden, unlabeled and not easy to locate during an emergency," according to a document posted on its website.
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AlKhaleej TodayUS safety officials probe Tesla door release after reports of trapped occupants in accidents
NEW YORK, Dec 25 — US auto safety officials have opened a preliminary investigation into Tesla’s door design following a complaint from a driver who said poor labelling worsened an emergency, authorities said this week.The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a petition from a customer who said the mechanical release on his 2022 Tesla Model 3 was “hidden, unlabelled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency” in which…
Elon Musk's Tesla Faces NHTSA Probe Into Model 3 Emergency Door Release - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a probe into Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model 3 vehicles, focusing on emergency door release issues. Check out the current price of TSLA here. This investigation follows a defect petition highlighting concerns about the accessibility of the mechanical door release during emergencies. Nearly 180,000 Vehicles Under Probe The Office of Defects Investigation is scrutinizing around…
NHTSA Probes Tesla Model 3 Sedans, Says Door Handles Too Hard to Find in Emergency
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is facing a second investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over issues with door handles on its top-selling compact sedans and SUVs. The NHTSA on Dec. 23 opened a probe to determine whether the door handles on nearly 180,000 Model 3 sedans made in 2022 were unlabeled, hidden, and too difficult to access during an emergency. The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) r…
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