Investigation launched over Tesla as parents allege malfunctioning door handles kept their children confined in the vehicle's rear compartment
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a preliminary investigation into approximately 174,300 2021 Tesla Model Ys due to reports that their electronic door handles fail, preventing the doors from opening, particularly after getting out to place a child in the back seat or after a drive cycle.
The investigation stems from nine reports of electronic door handles not working, possibly due to low battery voltage. NHTSA notes that the investigation is focused on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside the vehicle, not inside.
In four cases, parents had to break the windows to get inside vehicles due to non-functioning electronic door handles. The incidents appear to occur when the electronic door locks receive insufficient voltage from the vehicle's power system.
Tesla has installed manual door releases inside the vehicles, but a child may not be able to reach or operate these releases. Available repair invoices indicate that batteries were replaced after such incidents took place, but none of the affected individuals saw a low voltage battery warning before the door handles became inoperative.
This is not the first time Tesla is under investigation by NHTSA. Last year, a probe into driver-assistance features in 2.4 million Teslas was opened after several crashes in fog and other low-visibility conditions. Another investigation was launched by NHTSA in August looking into why Tesla apparently has not been reporting crashes promptly to the agency as required by its rules.
The current status of the NHTSA investigation involves a preliminary probe of the Tesla Model Y vehicles. The investigation will assess the approach used by Tesla to supply power to the door locks and the reliability of the applicable power supplies. NHTSA will continue to monitor reports of people stuck on the inside of Tesla vehicles, a situation they refer to as 'entrapment', and take further action as needed.
Meanwhile, Tesla is under scrutiny for other issues as well. Musk has promised to put hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla cars and Tesla robotaxis on roads by the end of the next year. However, the 'summon' technology that allows drivers to tell their cars to drive to their location to pick them up is also under investigation by NHTSA.
Despite these investigations, Tesla's stock has shown resilience. In afternoon trading Tuesday, Tesla stock rose more than 2% to $419.25 following a jump the day before on news Musk had bought $1 billion worth of shares.
However, the investigation into the Tesla Model Y's electronic door handles is a concern for safety advocates. Last year, relatives of a Tesla Model 3 driver who was trapped in his car and burned beyond recognition sued Tesla for negligence and fraud for failing to fix what they called a design flaw in the doors.
In April, a college basketball recruit named Alijah Arenas was trapped in a burning Tesla Cybertruck and had to douse himself with a water bottle to stay alive. These incidents highlight the importance of addressing the issues raised by the NHTSA investigation promptly to ensure the safety of Tesla's drivers and passengers.
As the investigation continues, Tesla will need to address the concerns raised by the NHTSA and take steps to ensure the safety and reliability of its vehicles. The company's reputation and the safety of its users are at stake.
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