US auto safety regulators investigating Tesla due to door handle issue

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Auto safety regulators in the United States are investigating certain Tesla Model Ys for a possible defect in the electronic door handles that can leave passengers trapped inside the vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that its preliminary evaluation is for the 2021 Tesla Model Y. The agency said that the electronic door handles of the vehicle may become inoperative due to low battery voltage and impede vehicle reentry.

The investigation covers approximately 174,300 of the midsize SUVs.

NHTSA has received nine reports of people being unable to open the doors of 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles. The agency said that the most commonly reported scenario was of parents exiting a vehicle after driving and trying to remove a child from the back seat or placing a child in the back seat before driving. The NHTSA said in those instances, parents were unable to reopen a door to regain access to the vehicle, with four reports of people breaking a window to get into the car.

While there are manual door releases inside the vehicles, NHTSA said that a child may not be able to reach or operate the releases. This can result in a person being unable to quickly retrieve a child from the car.

The agency said that the incidents appear to occur when the electronic door locks receive insufficient voltage from the vehicle. It said that available repair invoices indicate that batteries were replaced after such incidents took place. Of those who reported incidents, none saw a low voltage battery warning before the exterior door handles became inoperative.

NHTSA said that its preliminary evaluation will look at the scope and severity of the condition, including the risks that come from the conditions that have been reported to them.

The agency's investigation will also assess the approach used by Tesla to supply power to the door locks and the reliability of the applicable power supplies.

NHTSA said that the investigation is currently focused on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside of the vehicle, as that's the only instance in which there is no manual way to open the door.

The agency said that it will continue to monitor any reports of entrapment involving opening doors from inside of the vehicle, and will take further action as needed.