NHTSA opens probe into Tesla emergency door releases following reports of deaths

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially opened a defect petition to evaluate the emergency door release mechanisms in the Tesla Model 3. The probe covers approximately 180,000 vehicles and focuses on allegations that the manual releases are too difficult to locate during emergencies.

The investigation comes following several media reports regarding fatal crashes where occupants or first responders reportedly struggled to open the vehicle doors to extract occupants following a crash.

According to the official investigation documents released by the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), the evaluation was prompted by a petition citing that “the mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency”.

The specific subject of the investigation is listed as “Emergency egress controls are not readily accessible and clearly identifiable”.

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The probe, designated as Defect Petition DP25002, specifically covers the Model Year 2022 Tesla Model 3. The ODI estimates the population of affected vehicles to be 179,071.

While Tesla’s electronic door handles are a signature design feature, they rely on power to function. In the event of a total power loss, which can happen during severe crashes, occupants or rescuers must use the mechanical overrides.

The petition alleges that these mechanical overrides are not obvious enough. The ODI resume states:

“The petition cites that the mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency.”

The document notes that the investigation is currently in the “Defect Petition” phase, where the agency will “evaluate the issue and determine whether to grant or deny the petition”. So far, the summary report associates one injury incident with this specific petition.

However, recent investigations by Bloomberg and the Post have found several fatal crashes in which door handle and door opening designs might have played a role.

Electrek’s Take

This is a tough one because anyone who owns a Model 3 knows exactly where the front manual release is, it’s that latch right in front of the window switches. In fact, many new passengers pull it by mistake instead of the button, which can damage the window trim.

Then at the rear, it is arguably even more complicated, especially if you haven’t read the owner’s manual, which you probably haven’t if you are sitting in the back seat.

While the fact that some do it even by mistake could suggest it’s obvious, the simple fact that the door-opening process isn’t intuitive enough to be done right on the first try could suggest a problem.

If first responders are struggling to get people out, that’s a massive problem. Tesla loves minimalism, and removing physical handles improves aerodynamics and aesthetics, but safety redundancy needs to be idiot-proof.

This is still early in the process, but if the NHTSA finds that the design delays egress, we could see a recall that involves stickering the release locations or, in a more complex scenario, retrofitting a more obvious physical lever.