- NHTSA opens probe into Tesla’s electronic door handles.
- It wants Tesla to provide data on the Model 3 and Model Y.
- Owners report doors fail to open after 12-volt battery drops.
Federal investigators are piling the pressure on Tesla over its cars’ electronic door handles. The NHTSA wrote to the automaker last week requesting access to internal Tesla documents that might reveal the scale of a problem that parents say has left them terrified after being unable to free their children from hot cars.
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The safety regulator says it received additional reports from owners immediately after announcing in September that it was opening a probe into the alleged handle defects.
Widening Scrutiny
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) had nine complaints when it opened the probe, but that number had swelled to 16 by last week.
Complainants say they’ve been unable to open the rear doors in their Model Y SUVs after a drop in 12-volt battery voltage, a situation that shifts from frustrating to potentially deadly when children are involved.
More: How To Open Tesla Doors With No Power In An Emergency
Because although Tesla fits a mechanical emergency release to the doors that can be accessed from inside the car, that’s not much of a solution when the person in the back is a 10-month old strapped into a baby seat.
Baby Trapped in the Heat
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“My infant son was trapped,” The LA Times reports one Tesla owner recalling. “We live in Florida and this was an 80-degree (27 C) day. With no other recourse I was forced to call 911 to have my son removed from the vehicle.”
Emergency crews in Santa Barbara reportedly had to break the window to reach and save the baby, according to the complaint.
“My baby was found screaming in a pool full of sweat and was carried to an ambulance, where the paramedic warned me of concerning vital signs and advised me to go to the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital to have his condition assessed and treated, if necessary,” the Model Y owner wrote.
Another says they waited 30 “agonizing” minutes for a tow truck to arrived and jump-start the 12-volt battery to wake up the door handles. Some owners couldn’t bear to wait.
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In four of the reports in the ODI’s possession owners say they had to smash a window to open the door, but it seems investigators suspect many more owners might have had a similar experience. It’s now asking Tesla to hand over any data and reports it has that could reveal how widespread the issue is.
Paper Trail and Peer Models
In its October 27 letter to Tesla the ODI asks for records of consumer complaints, field reports (including dealer field reports), and reports involving crashes, fires, injuries, fatalities and property damage relating to the handle issue.
Also: Parents Break Tesla Windows To Rescue Trapped Children, Now US Is Investigating
It also wants Tesla to provide details of any connected lawsuits – both pending and closed – and a ton of other information about warranty claims, test results, internal investigations, design changes and more.
The car at the center of this probe is the MY21 Model Y, based on owner complaints. But the ODI’s investigation also covers “peer vehicles,” meaning Tesla will also have to provide records related to MY20 and MY22 Model Ys, as well as MY17-22 Model 3s.
If the ODI decides the handles present a risk the NHTSA could force Tesla to recall millions of cars to initiate a fix.
