Investigation Launched by US Auto Safety Officials on Tesla's Door Handles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into potential defects in Tesla Inc.'s electrically powered door handles, specifically focusing on the operability of exterior doors from outside the vehicle on Tesla's Model Y SUVs. This action is part of ongoing inquiries targeting Tesla, including a probe of whether its Full Self-Driving system is defective following multiple crashes.
The investigation was prompted by nine vehicle owners reporting an inability to open doors on 2021 Model Y sport utility vehicles. Since 2018, NHTSA has received over 140 consumer complaints related to doors on various Tesla models malfunctioning. In the most common scenarios reported, parents were unable to reopen the doors of their Tesla to retrieve a child from the back seat or to place them in the back seat.
Issues involving egress can disproportionately impact people with disabilities, pets, young children, and elderly passengers who may not be able to access a manual release. While Tesla's vehicles have manual releases inside, a child may not be able to access or operate these releases even if the vehicle's driver is aware of them. In some instances, people were forced to break the vehicle's window to regain access.
The investigation is focused on an estimated 174,290 Model Y SUVs due to issues with low-voltage batteries affecting door operability. The NHTSA's latest action is not limited to Tesla, as China's top regulator is considering a ban on fully concealed electrically powered door handles. Europe has taken incremental measures to improve post-crash rescue and extrication protocols.
Another active inquiry assesses the effectiveness of a Tesla software update that aimed to make its driver-assistance system Autopilot safer. Tesla chair Robyn Denholm declined to comment on the Bloomberg investigation into the door handles, but stated that the board takes safety incidents seriously.
The NHTSA's investigation could potentially widen to include other Tesla models, as the focus remains on enhancing safety measures and ensuring the well-being of all vehicle occupants. Crash tests are designed to measure impact survivability, not the speed at which occupants can exit the vehicle.
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