"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."
"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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into the emergency mechanical door releases in certain 2022 Tesla Model 3 sedans. The agency is evaluating claims that the mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency. The probe covers about 179,071 vehicles and follows a petition from a Georgia Tesla owner who said he was trapped in his vehicle in 2023. The action expands earlier federal examinations of Tesla door problems after a Bloomberg investigation found incidents where occupants were injured or died after becoming trapped. Tesla and NHTSA did not immediately comment.
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