U.S. auto safety regulators have opened a new review into the design of emergency door releases on certain Tesla Model 3 vehicles, following a petition alleging that the manual release mechanism may be difficult to locate or operate during emergencies.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its Office of Defects Investigation began evaluating the issue on Dec. 23 after receiving a petition from Georgia-based Tesla owner Kevin Clouse, who raised concerns about the accessibility of the mechanical door release in 2022 model-year vehicles.
According to NHTSA documents, the petition claims the emergency release is “hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive,” potentially posing a safety risk if occupants need to exit the vehicle during an emergency. The review covers an estimated 179,071 Model 3 vehicles from the 2022 model year. Regulators have not yet determined whether the issue warrants a formal defect investigation.
Clouse said the petition followed a 2023 crash in which he was unable to locate the manual door release while inside his vehicle. In his filing, he wrote that he was forced to climb into the rear of the car and break a window to escape as smoke filled the cabin.
“I was unaware of the location of the hidden mechanical emergency door release because it is not visibly labeled, not explained upon delivery, and not intuitive in an emergency,” Clouse said in his complaint to NHTSA.
Regulatory filings indicate at least one injury has been reported in connection with the issue, though no fatalities have been linked to the alleged defect.
The inquiry adds to earlier scrutiny of Tesla’s door systems. In September, NHTSA opened a separate investigation into about 174,000 Model Y vehicles after reports that parents were unable to open rear doors during power failures. In that case, regulators noted that although manual releases exist, they may not be easily accessible to children.
Following that investigation, Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen said the company planned to revise its door handle design.
NHTSA said it will review the petition and determine whether to proceed with a formal defect investigation.
