Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a preliminary investigation into around 174,000 Tesla Model Y vehicles from the 2021 model year.
The probe follows nine complaints from owners who found themselves locked out after the exterior electronic door handles failed, with some having to smash windows to get to children trapped inside.
We still do not have all the answers, but the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) thinks this could be due to the vehicle"s low-voltage battery failing to supply enough power to the door locks, causing the handles to stop working without warning.
Now, Bloomberg reports that Tesla is addressing the issue by redesigning the door handles. The company plans to rethink how people get out of its vehicles, especially during an emergency. The design, which often features flush handles, has been criticized for complicating rescue efforts by first responders who may not be familiar with the car"s specific quirks.
According to Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla"s design chief, who has been at the company for over 15 years, the company wants to combine the electronic release and the manual release, which are currently in separate locations.
The placement also varies by model and year, adding to the confusion. For example, in the Model S (2021 and newer), the manual release is a simple lever located in front of the window switches on the front doors. But in the rear, you have to fold back the carpet under the seats to find a release cable. In the Model Y, the rear manual release is hidden behind a small cover at the bottom of the door pocket.
The timing of this redesign announcement is interesting, though Bloomberg says that Von Holzhausen "did not specify" what prompted the company to explore the change. Tesla is also studying potential changes in China, where regulators are reportedly considering a ban on fully concealed door handles.
There is a manual release system, but critics argue it is often difficult to locate in an emergency, especially for passengers in the back. As Bloomberg notes, Tesla vehicles usually fare well in government crash tests. But those safety evaluations are designed to measure a person"s ability to survive an impact, not whether they can actually get out of the car afterward when the power might be cut.