Tesla Inc.’s door handles are facing renewed scrutiny in the US after federal auto safety regulators opened a probe into the emergency releases in certain Model 3 vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it’s evaluating claims that the mechanical door release “is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency,” according to a filing on the agency’s website. The move stems from a petition filed by Kevin Clouse, a Tesla owner in Georgia who says he was trapped in his vehicle in 2023 and requested a defect investigation. NHTSA said it hasn’t decided whether to grant or deny the petition.
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The probe covers an estimated 179,071 Model 3 sedans from the 2022 model year.
Tesla and NHTSA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The move expands on the federal examination of Tesla door problems following a monthslong investigation into the issue by Bloomberg, which uncovered a series of incidents in which people were severely injured or died after becoming trapped in their Teslas. In September, NHTSA opened an investigation into whether the doors are defective in certain Model Y SUVs amid reports of children stuck in vehicles when the 12-volt battery dies. The Model 3 and Model Y are by far Tesla’s top-selling vehicles.
The automaker was a pioneer of electrically powered handles, which can stop functioning without warning, particularly after a crash. A Bloomberg analysis this week found at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents over the past decade in which occupants or rescuers were unable to open the doors of a Tesla that had crashed and caught fire.
Bloomberg separately reported that potential safety issues with electric handles were raised with Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk during the development of the Model 3, and that he insisted on the futuristic design, which would include manual releases to mitigate power-loss problems.
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Clouse filed a petition last month over a 2023 incident in which he says he had to kick his way out of his burning Model 3 when the doors wouldn’t open. Bloomberg previously cited details of Clouse’s case.
“I was unaware of the location of the hidden mechanical emergency door release because it is not visibly labeled, not explained upon delivery, and not intuitive in an emergency,” he said in a complaint filed with NHTSA. “I was forced to climb to the back seat and break the rear passenger window with my legs to escape while the interior was burning.”
Tesla shares fell 0.7% as of 11:41 a.m. Wednesday in New York.