Tesla Door Handle Investigation: Potential Safety Issue

Tesla Model Y Door Handle Investigation Launched by NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation concerning reports of malfunctioning door handles on Tesla Model Y SUVs.

Reports of Inoperable Door Handles

The investigation was announced on Tuesday by NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). The agency has received nine reports detailing instances where vehicle owners experienced difficulty accessing their cars.

A frequent scenario described by owners involves exiting the vehicle and subsequently being unable to open the rear doors, particularly when needing to assist children.

Emergency Access and Vehicle Damage

ODI reports that in four separate cases, owners were forced to break a window to regain entry into their Tesla vehicles.

Connection to Previous Incidents

This probe follows a recent Bloomberg investigation that highlighted multiple occurrences of Tesla owners and passengers becoming trapped inside their cars after a collision.

Potential Cause: Voltage Issues

A preliminary assessment by ODI suggests that the door handles may become inoperable due to insufficient voltage reaching the electronic door locks from the vehicle’s battery system.

Notably, none of the owners who reported this issue to the agency indicated receiving any low-voltage battery warnings.

Manual Release Limitations

Tesla vehicles are equipped with internal manual door releases. However, these releases can be difficult for children to reach.

Furthermore, ODI notes that some owners are unaware of the existence of these manual releases.

Restoring Functionality

According to Tesla’s owner manuals, restoring power to the electronic door locks is possible, but it requires a multi-step procedure and an external power source.