Tesla Under Investigation After Electronic Door Handles Trap Child Riders Inside

Once again, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a preliminary investigation into Tesla, this time focusing on the Model Y's electronic door handles following multiple complaints from owners, including reports of children being trapped inside vehicles. NHTSA's probe is centered on an estimated 174,290 Model Y SUVs from the 2021 model year, citing concerns that the retracting handles can fail without warning.

This week, an Open Preliminary Evaluation was opened after NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received nine reports from consumers detailing instances where they were unable to open the exterior doors of their vehicles. The most concerning of these reports involved parents who had placed a child in the back seat but were then unable to re-enter the car or retrieve their child after exiting. In four of these cases, parents were forced to break a window to gain access to their ...