US authorities launch probe following claims of malfunctioning door handles in Tesla vehicles, leading to children being trapped inside vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into potential defects in the exterior electronic door handles of approximately 174,300 Tesla Model Y vehicles (model year 2021) in the United States.
The investigation was prompted by multiple incidents where parents were unable to open the doors to access their children, with four reported cases requiring vehicle windows to be broken to free the trapped children.
In these incidents, the electronic door handles appear to fail due to insufficient voltage from the vehicle's battery system. The NHTSA will assess the scope and severity of the condition, including associated safety risks.
The investigation will also examine Tesla's approach to supplying power to the door locks and the reliability of the applicable power supplies. Available repair invoices indicate that batteries were replaced after such incidents occurred.
NHTSA's initial review noted the potential danger of entrapped individuals in vehicles, particularly children. Entrapment in a vehicle, especially in emergencies such as hot vehicles, is a concern for the safety regulator.
While Tesla has installed manual door releases inside the vehicles, a child may not be able to reach or know how to operate the releases. Manual door release buttons exist only on the interior of vehicles, and some vehicle owners are reportedly unaware of their existence.
In addition, the investigation follows numerous reported incidents in recent years involving problems with opening Tesla doors, which have sometimes trapped drivers in burning vehicles after accidents and power loss.
The investigation comes after Elon Musk's purchase of $1B in Tesla stock, the biggest purchase since 2020. It's important to note that a glass roof on a Tesla Model Y cracked in Türkiye despite its 8.6-ton rating, but this fact is not directly related to the door handle investigation.
The NHTSA's investigation underscores the importance of vehicle safety, particularly in the context of increasingly complex and electronic features. As the investigation progresses, updates will be provided to the public regarding any findings and potential remedies.
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