NHTSA is investigating Tesla over its electronic door handles

Who says journalism is dead? Less than a week after Bloomberg published a damning report about Tesla's "dangerous doors," the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now looking into it. On Tuesday, the regulator said it opened an investigation into the automaker's electrically powered doors. The problem: They stop working if the vehicle's low-voltage battery fails.

The NHTSA's probe will cover the 2021 Model Y, which covers an estimated 174,290 vehicles. But the agency suggested in a document that it could expand its investigation. That makes sense: Every Tesla ever made uses electrically powered door handles. So, this could potentially get very expensive for the otherwise perfectly lovable company.

Tesla uses a flush door handle design for its vehicles. A 12-volt battery powers the door's ability to pop the handle and release the latch. It's one of the ...