After concerns over the escapability of Tesla vehicles in emergency situations, the brand is pushing through a redesign of its interior door releases.
Electric Cars
Tesla is set to redesign its electronic door release systems, aiming to simplify the operation in emergencies by combining the electronic and physical emergency release handles into a single button.
Tesla’s design chief, Franz von Holzhausen, revealed the change is coming in an interview on the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit! podcast.
An investigation by Bloomberg uncovered over 140 customer complaints in the United States, regarding doors that have become stuck, malfunctioned, or otherwise failed to open.
US safety body, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has opened an investigation into complaints around Tesla’s alleged door handle issues.
Tesla uses a number of slightly different door release systems and locations across its vehicle range.
The Model 3 and Model Y in Australia are fitted with flush-fit exterior door handles that require a two-stage operation, pressing the rear of the handle to reveal the section that is then pulled to actuate the door release.
The interior release is via an electronic push-button, but as is the case with similar systems on other vehicles, a physical emergency release is also fitted – though not always obvious or easy to access in a panic situation.
In the case of the Model 3 and Model Y, activating the manual door release for the rear doors includes removing a trim panel in the bottom of the door pocket that covers the emergency release – not as easy to access as the front doors' manual levers, placed beside the window switches (above).
“The idea of combining the electronic one and the manual one together into one button, I think, makes a lot of sense,” von Holzhausen told the Hot Pursuit! podcast. “That’s something that we’re working on.”
Other automakers with similar systems already include door release systems that combine electronic buttons with a manual override, like Lexus, with a push-button release that can be pulled like a handle in an emergency.
The Bloomberg investigation revealed a number of cases where Tesla occupants suffered injuries or died after crashes, when a loss of power to the vehicle systems impacted the ability to quickly open doors and exit.
The NHTSA has opened an investigation into an estimated 174,290 2021 model-year Model Ys, over concerns the exterior door handles could stop working, posing an entrapment risk.
The investigation seeks to “assess the approach used by Tesla to supply power to the door locks and the reliability of the applicable power supplies,” according to a statement by the NHTSA.
Electric Cars Guide
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
