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An ongoing controversy over an alleged design flaw in Tesla’s doors took two new turns this week, as troubling questions about who knew what and when about the vehicles’ door handles began to swirl, along with a new federal investigation sparked by a harrowing letter of complaint.
As part of a several-month investigation conducted by Bloomberg, a project timed to coincide with high-profile investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the media outlet reported Monday that Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk not only knew about the design flaw in the electronic door strikes on the company’s vehicles, but recommended that they continue to be used.
And Tuesday, NHTSA announced new investigation specifically in Model 3.
According to BloombergAccording to Tesla sources, engineers warned Musk about electronically triggering interior door handles during development of the Tesla Model 3. The setup requires power from a 12-volt battery to operate the door with an electronic button. However, to address engineers’ concerns and meet federal motor vehicle safety standards, a manual release was also installed for passengers to use in an emergency or if the 12-volt battery was exhausted.
The problem that has reportedly led to 15 deaths and numerous other incidents on popular models like the Model 3 and Model Y is that the 12-volt battery, separate from the propulsion battery, can fail in a crash. And many occupants were unaware of the unmarked manual unlock, far from the normal button.
Tuesday’s investigation was prompted by a November letter to NHTSA by a 2022 Model 3 owner from Georgia who claimed he was “forced to crawl into the rear seat and repeatedly kick the rear passenger window until it shattered” when he was involved in a head-on collision that resulted in the vehicle catching fire and losing power to electrical accessories.
Kevin Clouse said he suffered injuries that required three surgeries, including a complete hip replacement. Clouse cites a federal vehicle law requiring exit latches to be marked and easily accessible.
This news also comes at the end of a wild year for Musk that included a doomed stint at The White House and DOGE and a A salary package of $878 million in November even with a quarter of shareholders who do not support it, while Tesla sales plummeted globally due to politics, unfavorable electric vehicle conditions and increased competition.
Tesla wasn’t the first automaker to embrace power door handles, but soon after the Model S popularized them, companies like Audi began using them. It’s also not the first company to deal with someone being trapped in one of its vehicles with electronic door handles. A a man and his dog died in 2015apparently after the electronic door unlock of a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette failed, leading to a 2016 lawsuit by the victim’s family. It appears the man was unaware of the existence of a manual override to open the door in the event of a battery failure.
These mechanisms have been the source of reliability complaints and frustrations from owners and appraisers. Media outlets such as Consumer Reports noted problems and even began ranking vehicles lower due to usability issues – so much so that the magazine launched a petition to car manufacturers ask for more secure doors.
Tesla’s problems will persist into next year as NHTSA continues to investigate the millions of models on U.S. roads. The company made some changes to the new models, and in September the Tesla designer proposed a redesign releases on future cars.
