U.S. auto safety agency probes Tesla Model 3 emergency door release

The U.S.autosafetyregulator said on Wednesday it has opened a defect investigation intoTeslaModel3 compact sedans over concerns thatemergencydoorreleasecontrols may not be easily accessible or clearly identifiable in anemergency.

The Office of Defects Investigation said the probe covers an estimated 179,071modelyear 2022 vehicles.

The investigation was opened on Dec. 23 after theagencyreceived a defect petition alleging that the vehicles’ mechanicaldoorreleaseis hidden, unlabeled and not intuitive to locate during emergencies.

Tesladid not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company’s vehicles rely primarily on electronicdoorlatches, which open via buttons rather than traditional mechanical handles.

WhileTeslaincludes a manualdoorreleaseforuse in emergencies or power failures, experts have long argued that the mechanicalreleases are not consistently visible, labeled or intuitive, particularly for rear-seat passengers.

Last month,Teslawas suedover a fiery Wisconsin crash that killed all five occupants of aModelS, who were allegedly trapped inside because of a design flaw that prevented them from opening the luxury sedan’sdoors.

Theautomaker has also been sued by families of two college students killed in a Cybertruck crash November last year in a San Francisco suburb, after allegedly being locked in the burning vehicle because of itsdoorhandle design.

The opening of a defect petition does not mean a recall will be issued, but it marks the first step in a regulatory review process that could lead to further action ifsafety-related defects are confirmed.

Theautoregulator, NHTSA, said in September it had opened apreliminary evaluationinto about 174,290ModelY cars over reports of electronicdoorhandles becoming inoperative.