Texas bills itself as the friendliest state for businesses, and Tesla is using that to try to avoid responsibility for alleged defects with its electric vehicles.
What's happening?
The company was sued in June by Susmita Maddi, who suffered burns and lung damage in a Model Y crash after her husband, Venkateswara Pasumarti, who was driving, had an epileptic seizure. The EV collided with a utility pole and caught fire, and bystanders could not open the doors.
The filing argues the door handles, which are flush with the SUV's exterior and a trademark of the company's, were "defectively designed" and that "the vehicle's occupant compartment was not reasonably escapable or accessible in the event of a foreseeable accident resulting in fire and loss of power."
"The lawsuit claims the front-passenger door couldn't be opened from the outside by onlookers due to said defects, that these defects were present when the car was built, and that Tesla didn't provide adequate warning. Tesla's defense rests on disputing that last point," Autoblog reported.
The outlet noted that "Texas courts have specifically held there is no post-sale duty to warn of, or to recall, an allegedly defective product," citing Tesla statements in court documents.
This is not the first time the dangerous door handle issue has been raised. After a Cybertruck crashed and caught fire in California last year, three college students died; a friend was unable to open the doors. In Wisconsin in 2024, five people were killed in a Model S after a similar crash; four of them were found in the front of the car, leading a detective to believe they were trying to escape.
Vehicles with electronic doors are sometimes equipped with manual releases so they can be opened in case of emergency, but they may not be easy to find.
"If you are a passenger or jump into a rental car or a Model Y that is a Robotaxi, you are not going to be aware of this," Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, told Bloomberg. "It shouldn't be a game of hide-and-seek."
Why is this important?
EVs help drivers save money and cut planet-warming pollution, but horrific crashes could keep potential buyers from adopting the cleaner rides. Tesla isn't the only carmaker that manufactures models with flush or electronic door handles — the feature is popular with other EVs as well as internal combustion engine vehicles.
While Tesla sales are down, EV sales are up.
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No way 🙅 What's being done about Tesla's door handles?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla's door handles, and a company executive said they were being redesigned. Regulators in China and Europe are taking steps to ban the flush design or "improve post-crash rescue and extrication protocols," according to Bloomberg.
If you drive or ride in a vehicle with flush or electronic door handles, you should make yourself aware of mechanical release mechanisms and how to operate them, which could save your life or prevent serious injury in the event of a crash. This information can be found in the owner's manual.
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