On December 18, according to Bloomberg, multiple incidents occurredAfter a Tesla door malfunction caused consumers to be trapped in the car, some car owners in the United States began to take safety measures on their own, including preparing their own escape tools and changing cars.In May of this year, Erin Geter’s toddler was trapped in the Tesla car when the power door lost power. A few weeks later, she showed up at the Honda dealership to purchase a new family car.
Gittel's son trapped in Model Y door failure
"This experience left me with lingering fears," said the 39-year-old mother from Huntersville, North Carolina, USA. Nowadays, she prefers to use a Honda CR-V to transport her children because the car is equipped with traditional mechanical door handles.
Even before her son was trapped this spring, Gittel had purchased a window breaker for her 2021 Model Y. But when the accident happened, the tool was also locked inside the car.
Gittel's window breaker was locked in the car
Over the next few minutes, she made several calls: first to her husband, then to her father. They can usually unlock the vehicle remotely through the Tesla mobile app.But when the Tesla's low-voltage battery dies, this feature is disabled.Gittel then contacted Tesla, but the other party also failed to provide immediate help. Finally, she called 911.
According to Gittel, when rescuers arrived at the scene and tried to break the window, one of the car doors suddenly opened on its own, allowing her to access her trapped son.
"I don't know what I would have done if the door hadn't opened by itself," she said. "I felt so helpless at that moment."
Car owners become wary
Gittel's experience is a particularly extreme example of what Tesla owners are now doing to solve a problem that most people never think about: doors that won't open when they malfunction. Some people buy window breakers in case they need to escape through a car window.Online ride-hailing drivers will proactively show passengers the location of Tesla’s built-in mechanical door opening device, the devices of different models vary greatly.
Sellers on Amazon and Etsy are starting to sell third-party accessories like emergency pull cords to make these manual releases easier to use. At the same time, many videos have appeared on Reddit forums and YouTube videos providing step-by-step installation tutorials. Nearly 35,000 people have signed an online petition launched by Consumer Reports calling on automakers to fix electronic door problems.
The issue has become particularly urgent following numerous incidents in which passengers were seriously injured or killed because they were unable to escape from Tesla vehicles. A Bloomberg investigation found that U.S. auto safety regulators have received more than 140 consumer complaints since 2018 about door handles on different Tesla models getting stuck, unable to open or otherwise malfunctioning, especially after vehicle collisions. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a safety investigation into whether the doors of some Model Y models have defects. Tesla's chief designer has said the company is redesigning the mechanics of its iconic hidden door handles.
Tesla hidden door handle
Tesla is a pioneer in the design of electronically controlled doors and hidden door handles. In recent years, this design has rapidly become popular in the automotive industry and has become a symbol of cool and futuristic car design.But once power is lost, Tesla's doors lose functionality.Manual door opening devices in the company's vehicles are sometimes unmarked, may be hidden under floor mats or in door storage compartments, or may be available only in a certain row of seats.
Need guidance from Tesla
As Tesla owners become increasingly aware of potential risks, many have expressed a need for clearer operational guidance from Tesla.
“Tesla does not adequately inform consumers how to fully operate the vehicle,” said David Ward, a San Diego-area resident who bought a Model 3 in 2021 and is satisfied with other aspects of the car. “I had to learn all the operations through YouTube.”
Tesla has not responded to requests for comment, but its chairman, Robyn Denholm, said in a recent interview that the company takes any safety-related issues very seriously. She said many people know where the manual door openers are, but Tesla is working to increase public awareness of those locations and review the design of alternate mechanisms.
"We've been thinking about, is there a better solution?" Denholm said in an interview with Bloomberg in October.
Online ride-hailing passengers worry
It's not just car owners who are worried. Since Tesla vehicles account for a large proportion of ride-hailing and rental fleets, the door issue has also attracted the attention of passengers.
Chad Lincoln, an Uber driver in Tennessee, recently rented a 2022 Model 3 from Hertz after his own car was involved in an accident. He said that during the two weeks he drove the Tesla, three times passengers asked how to escape in an emergency.
“I walk them through the escape methods and handle locations like a flight attendant demonstrating safety instructions,” he said.
Although Lincoln, 47, likes the Model 3's advanced technology, he said he wouldn't consider buying a Tesla when looking for a replacement for his scrapped car.
"The safety hazards associated with mechanical door openings are very serious to me," he said. "I take my responsibility for passenger safety very seriously."