Ever since a federal agency announced an investigation into Tesla's door handles, it has received several more complaints from owners who say they were unable to open their cars' doors, causing major safety concerns.
What's happening?
The new complaints, Bloomberg reported, were detailed in an October letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Tesla.
In September, the NHTSA announced an investigation into the door handles on 2021 Tesla Model Y electric vehicles, after receiving nine complaints that the SUV's door handles were not accessible or functional if the vehicle lost power. Since then, October's letter said, the number of complaints received had increased to 16.
Many of the complaints alleged that children became trapped in the back seat of a Model Y after owners were unable to use the door handle to get back into their car.
"My infant son was trapped," one complaint said. "We live in Florida and this was an 80 degree day. With no other recourse I was forced to call 911 to have my son removed from the vehicle."
In the letter, the NHTSA says it would like information from Tesla on not just 2021 Model Ys, but also on "peer vehicles" such as 2022 and 2022 Model Ys, and Model 3 sedans from 2017-22.
Why is this concerning?
Situations like those detailed in the above complaint aren't just scary. They can also be fatal.
When a car gets left outside, even in moderately warm temperatures, it doesn't take long for its interior to become dangerously hot. After being left out in 80-degree Fahrenheit weather, for example, a car's interior can reach 123 degrees in just one hour
That heat can be deadly to children. Data from Kids and Car Safety shows that, since 1990, at least 1,161 children have died in hot cars in the United States, with more than 30 happening so far this year.
Tesla has introduced other features specifically designed to prevent this type of tragedy from happening. Its "Child Left Alone Detection" feature, introduced this year in the U.S. and Europe, uses sensors and interior cameras to see if a child has accidentally been left in a car and repeatedly alerts the driver if that did occur.
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For sure 💯 What's being done about Tesla's doors?
Tesla's door handles, which lie flush with its cars' bodies, have long been one of the electric automaker's signature design elements.
But along with the NHTSA investigation, the company was also sued by a woman who allegedly suffered burns and lung damage after her husband's Model Y crashed and caught fire, and onlookers couldn't open its doors.
Tesla has denied responsibility in that case. However, Tesla's chief designer has said it "makes a lot of sense" to consider redesigning the automaker's door handles to open more easily and intuitively.
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