Tesla Probed After Parents Say Door Handles Trapped Kids

NHTSA investigation looks at electronic handles said to malfunction, leaving kids stuck in back
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 17, 2025 11:00 AM CDT
NHTSA Looks Into Tesla Door Defects
A Tesla Model Y and other Tesla vehicles are seen at a dealership on March 19 in Kennesaw, Georgia.   (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Federal auto safety regulators opened an investigation on Tuesday into possible defects in Tesla doors that have reportedly left parents with children trapped in the back seat and forced to break windows to get them out. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the preliminary investigation is focused on 2021 Tesla Model Y SUVs after receiving nine reports of electronic door handles not working, possibly due to low battery voltage, reports the AP. The company run by billionaire Elon Musk has installed manual door releases inside the vehicles, but the NHTSA notes that a child may not be able to reach or know how to operate the releases. In four cases, the parents had to break windows to get inside.

The investigation into Tesla's most popular model comes after numerous reported incidents in recent years of other problems with opening Tesla doors, sometime trapping drivers in burning vehicles after accidents and a loss of power. In April, a USC college basketball recruit said he was "fighting time" trying to get out of his Tesla Cybertruck that had caught fire after he crashed into a tree and was unable to get the doors open. Alijah Arenas, who was induced into a temporary coma after the accident, said he stayed alive by dousing himself with a water bottle as smoke filled the vehicle.

The NHTSA said the incidents appear to occur when the electronic door locks receive insufficient voltage from the vehicle, noting 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. The agency said its preliminary evaluation will look at the scope and severity of the condition.

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The NHTSA also said the investigation is only focusing on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside of the vehicle, not inside, as that's the only instance in which there's no manual way to open the door. But it also said it will continue to monitor reports of people stuck on the inside—what it calls "entrapment"—and will take further action as needed. The current agency investigation covers approximately 174,300 of the midsize SUVs. More here.

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