Tesla Comes Under Regulatory Scrutiny Over Jammed Doors Trapping Kids

Regulators in the U.S. have launched a probe into electric vehicle giant Tesla in response to reports of jammed doors trapping children in Teslas. After several reports emerged of Tesla door handles failing and trapping kids inside 2021 Model Ys, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a preliminary review into Tesla and its flagship electric vehicle. 

Although the NHTSA received just nine reports of Tesla doors jamming, the agency is taking this quite seriously, and its preliminary investigations found that the issue occurs when door locks do not receive enough voltage. Four of the Tesla drivers who encountered the door jam issue were forced to break their windows to open the doors and retrieve their children. The California-based electric vehicle firm did not offer an immediate comment regarding the investigation into 2021 Model Ys, potentially setting it on a course that could end with a vehicle recall. 

As one of the most popular and bestselling electric vehicles in the U.S. and abroad, the Model Y has tens of thousands of units on American roads, with each of them potentially carrying the risk of door jams. According to most of the reports, the issue typically occurs when drivers step out of the front seats and try to retrieve their children from the back, only to discover that the doors aren’t working. None of them saw any power or battery-related warnings before their doors jammed. 

The NHTSA’s initial review notes this problem made it difficult to ‘rapidly retrieve’ occupants who were still in the vehicle, typically children who were either sitting in the back or strapped into car seats. This ‘entrapment’ can become a major issue during emergency situations, adding time delays when expediency is required. For instance, when trying to retrieve a child trapped in a hot car, or any other road or vehicle emergency that may require the occupants of a Tesla to stop and exit the vehicle immediately. 

The NHTSA says its probe will be massive in scale, examining around 174,000 Model Ys to determine if the door jamming issue affects just a few models or is endemic to the entire 2021 Model Y line. Depending on the results of the probe, Tesla may be forced to recall tens of thousands of Model Ys to address the issue, adding another worry to the company’s growing list of woes. In addition to its sales and brand-related issues, Tesla is currently undergoing another NHTSA probe into customer complaints regarding Tesla’s driver assistance systems. 

This investigation highlights the ongoing tension between Tesla’s innovative electronic systems and traditional safety requirements. Tesla uses frameless doors with electronic door handles where the button to open the doors first causes the window to lower slightly, allowing the door to open. While this design offers sleek aesthetics and advanced functionality, it creates potential failure points that traditional mechanical systems don’t face, underscoring the critical importance of reliable backup systems in vehicle safety design. 

For companies like PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) (Cboe CA: SUNN) (FRA: 103) that are working to build brand reputations that can last for lifetimes, the issues Tesla is currently facing could hold valuable lessons. 

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