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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a preliminary evaluation into reports of electronic door handles failing on 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles. This investigation addresses safety concerns raised by vehicle owners who experienced difficulties accessing their cars, particularly in scenarios involving children. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is examining the scope of the issue and potential risks to occupants.
Key Highlights
- Nine VOQs reported: Owners described inability to open doors after exiting to handle children in the back seat.
- Window breaking incidents: Four cases involved breaking a window to regain entry due to inoperative handles.
- Child safety risks: Entrapment poses dangers, especially in hot vehicles, where rapid external access is critical.
- Voltage-related cause: The failure appears linked to insufficient voltage to electronic door locks, with some repairs replacing the low voltage battery.
- No prior warnings: Owners did not report low voltage battery alerts before handles became inoperative.
- Manual release challenges: Interior manual releases exist but may be inaccessible to children; external power restoration process is multi-step and not widely known.
- Investigation focus: NHTSA targets external door operability, monitoring internal access issues and assessing Tesla’s power supply reliability to door locks.
The evaluation, identified as PE25010, involves components in the electrical system and latches/locks/linkages. Reports indicate the condition often occurs during common activities, such as placing or retrieving a child from the back seat before or after a drive. In these situations, parents found themselves locked out, highlighting the potential for occupant entrapment without a straightforward manual override from outside.
While Tesla vehicles include interior manual door releases, ODI notes that children may not reach or operate them effectively, even if instructed. This raises particular alarms in emergencies, like heat-related incidents, where quick retrieval is essential. For reference, NHTSA maintains awareness campaigns on child heatstroke risks in vehicles.
Repair records show low voltage battery replacements post-incident, suggesting power supply deficiencies. However, the absence of warnings underscores the unpredictability of the failure. Tesla’s owner’s manual outlines procedures for jump starting and opening the hood with no power to restore external handle function, requiring 12 volts DC applied to exterior points. An additional section covers opening doors with no power using interior releases for those already inside.
This preliminary evaluation aims to determine the prevalence and severity of the door handle inoperability, including risks from reported scenarios. NHTSA will review Tesla’s approach to powering the locks and the dependability of related systems. The agency emphasizes external access concerns, as internal manual options exist, but continues to track all entrapment reports for potential further action.
To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume and the ODI Report Identification Number document, visit NHTSA.gov.
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