Like many Teslas, the Model Y has retractable door handles that only extend under certain conditions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes the handles could be a safety issue, recently announcing that it had opened an investigation into the components.
The NHTSA’s announcement coincides with a report from Bloomberg, which detailed Tesla’s vehicles’ door handles. The report noted that the handles require the 12-volt battery to work, and without it, there is no way to open the doors from outside the vehicle. Passengers have bypass handles inside, but that leaves first responders and rescue crews without a way into the vehicle after an accident. That said, some Tesla models lack rear bypass handles, though that has changed in newer vehicles.
The investigation came after the NHTSA received nine complaints from Model Y owners. Some said they experienced serious issues, such as children and pets being stuck in the vehicle. One person’s power failed after they placed their child in the car, and four others said they reached a point where the only way to enter the vehicle was to break a window.
While there are emergency door releases, the NHTSA said, “a child may not be able to access or operate the releases even if the vehicle’s driver is aware of them.” Interestingly, none of the complaints it received mentioned seeing a battery warning light prior to the failures.
[Images: Tesla]
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