The ongoing controversy over Tesla’s door design flaw got two new wrinkles this week, as worryingly, who-knew-and-when questions about the car’s door handles began to swirl, and a new federal investigation sparked by a damning complaint letter.
As part of a months-long investigation by Bloomberg, project that has expired to comply with high questions from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the newspaper reported on Monday that the founder of Tesla and CEO Elon Musk is not only aware of the design error of the release of the electronic door in the company’s vehicles, but has encouraged their continued use.
And on Tuesday, the NHTSA announced a new investigation specific to the Model 3.
In accordance with BloombergSources, engineers warned Musk about the electronic release of interior door handles during the development of the Tesla Model 3. The setup requires power from a 12-volt battery to operate the door with an electric button. However, to address engineering concerns and meet federal vehicle safety standards, a manual release was also installed for passengers to use in an emergency or if the 12-volt battery runs out.
The problem that is said to have led to 15 deaths and many other incidents in popular models like the Model 3 and Model Y is that the 12-volt battery, separate from the exploding battery pack, can fail in an accident. And many residents did not know about the manual release that is not marked far from the normal button.
Tuesday’s investigation was prompted by a November letter to NHTSA from a 2022 Model 3 owner in Georgia who said, “he was forced to crawl into the back seat and kick the rear passenger window until it shattered,” when he was involved in a crash that resulted in the vehicle catching fire and losing power to the electrical system.
Kevin Clouse said he suffered injuries that required three surgeries, including a hip replacement. Clouse cites a state vehicle law that requires exit latches to be marked and easily accessible.
The news also comes at the end of a wild year for Musk that includes a lost stint in the White House and DOGE and a severance package of $878 million in November even a quarter of shareholders did not support him, while Tesla’s sales plunged into global political turmoil, poor EV conditions, and growing competition.
Tesla wasn’t the first automaker to pursue electric door handles, but not long after the Model S regained popularity, companies like Audi began using them. It is also not the first company to deal with a person who is suspected of being trapped in one of their cars by the electric door handles. A man and his dog died in 2015, apparently after an electronic door release failed in a 2007 Chevy Corvette, leading to a 2016 family lawsuit. It seems that the man did not know anything about reaching out manually to open the door when the battery fails.
These methods have been the source of reliable complaints and frustrations for owners and reviewers. Outlets like Consumer Reports noted the problems and began ranking cars for usability issues—so much so that the magazine started a petition to automakers asking for safer doors.
Tesla’s problems will continue next year as NHTSA continues to investigate millions of models on US roads. The company has made changes to new models and, in September, Tesla’s designer proposed a rescheduling of future car releases.
