1 month ago
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Tesla Inc.’s door handles are facing renewed scrutiny in the US after federal auto safety regulators opened a probe into the emergency releases in certain Model 3 vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it’s evaluating claims that the mechanical door release “is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency,” according to a filing on the agency’s website. The move stems from a petition filed by Kevin Clouse, a Tesla owner in Georgia who says he was trapped in his vehicle in 2023 and requested a defect investigation. NHTSA said it hasn’t decided whether to grant or deny the petition.
Read More: Tesla Doors Can Trap People Desperate to Escape
The probe covers an estimated 179,071 Model 3 sedans from the 2022 model year.
Tesla and NHTSA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The move expands on the federal examination of Tesla door problems following a monthslong investigation into the issue by Bloomberg, which uncovered a series of incidents in which peop...
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