US Auto Safety Regulator Turns Down Petition for Investigation into Tesla Model 3 Door-Release Defect
A US auto safety regulator turned down a petition to look into a problem with the way the doors on the Tesla Model 3 open, saying that the agency should focus on making new federal rules instead.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) turned down a request to look into a problem with the emergency mechanical door-release system that comes with some Tesla Model 3 cars. The NHTSA said the request did not include enough proof of a safety issue that needed regulatory action.
The protest was about 179,701 Tesla Model 3 cars from the model year 2022. It said that the manual emergency door release could be hard for people to find after a crash if the car lost power, which made it more likely that people would get stuck inside.
The agency said in its decision that the issues raised would be better dealt with through the ongoing process of making federal rules rather than a formal investigation of a defect.
A request for comment from Tesla did not get a response right away.
The company that makes electric cars has been criticized for its electronically operated door handles after a number of accidents in which people were stuck in their cars after the power went out. This led to calls for stricter federal safety standards for emergency door-release systems.
NHTSA said it had received one report about a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The owner said that the mechanical door release was hidden and not labeled after the car lost power in a front-impact crash. It was about the same thing that led to the motion.
The agency also said that current federal safety standards for car door locks and latches don’t say where emergency mechanical door openers should be located or how they should be labeled.
NHTSA also said it had started a different rule-making process after agreeing to another petition for new government safety standards that would make emergency door-egress systems easier to see and use.
Instead of looking into Tesla’s cars for problems, the regulator said that making safety standards more general is the best way to address the concerns raised.
