Tesla Door Handle Failures Under Investigation by NHTSA
Tesla is facing investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over external door handle failures affecting approximately 174,000 Model Y vehicles from 2021, reportedly causing occupants to become trapped. The agency is assessing whether the electronic door locking system's power supply is reliable enough to prevent safety risks.
What happened
NHTSA launched a formal investigation into approximately 174,000 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles this week due to external door handles that may malfunction or fail, potentially trapping occupants including children inside vehicles.
Bloomberg research found that in multiple accidents involving Tesla vehicles in the United States, occupants were unable to open car doors from inside due to power loss, resulting in injuries and deaths.
Since 2018, NHTSA has received over 140 consumer complaints about Tesla door handles becoming stuck, unable to open, or malfunctioning.
Reported impact
Occupants, including children, were reportedly trapped in vehicles when door handles failed to operate, with some incidents resulting in injury or death.
NHTSA is evaluating the reliability of the power supply methods used for Tesla door locks to assess safety risks.
Index analysis
Tesla's external door handles use a hidden design with electronic release mechanisms that require a multi-step operation: pressing with the thumb to expose the handle, then pulling with the palm to open the door.
Tesla provides internal mechanical emergency door release levers as safety redundancy, but these are positioned inconspicuously.
Problems identified include insufficient structural strength, complex control logic with potential safety risks, difficulty in recognizing and operating the handles in emergencies due to hidden design without clear markings, and failure of electronic handles during power loss scenarios.
Governance controls
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology solicited public comments through June 7, 2025 for a proposed mandatory national standard on automotive door handle safety requirements.
The proposed Chinese standard addresses safety logic for external door handles during collisions and vehicle fires, requires mechanical or power-loss protection redundancy, and mandates visible safety markings on hidden door handles to reduce emergency operation difficulty.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.