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NHTSA launches investigation into Tesla Model 3 emergency door handles

By
Mary Cunningham
Reporter, MoneyWatch
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. She previously worked at "60 Minutes," CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
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Mary Cunningham

/ CBS News

U.S. safety regulators have launched a probe into some Tesla Model 3 cars over the vehicle's door handles. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a December 23 online  that it received a complaint from a Tesla owner asking it to investigate the vehicle's emergency door handles, with the motorist claiming that the "mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled and not intuitive to locate during an emergency."

The driver claimed he was forced to escape from the vehicle's rear window after the 2022 Model 3 caught fire, according to his account on an Atlanta local television news show.

The probe covers roughly 179,000 Model 3 cars from the 2022 model year, according to the NHTSA filing. 

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This isn't the first time the Model 3 has come under scrutiny. In 2023, a couple crashed in Tacoma, Washington, after a design flaw in the Model 3 they were driving caused it to accelerate out of control. A separate issue with the door handle prevented bystanders from helping to rescue the couple, according to court filings. The accident killed the woman, Wendy Dennis, while leaving her husband, Jeff Dennis, severely injured.

Other reports have also surfaced describing incidents in which people became trapped in a burning Tesla vehicle following an accident that allegedly incapacitated the electric doors, while occupants were unable to find a manual release. 

Bloomberg this week that there have been "at least" 15 deaths over the last decade in which motorists or rescuers were unable to open the doors of a Tesla that had crashed and caught fire.

Edited by Alain Sherter

AFP contributed to this report.

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