Transportation
Tesla Faces US Probe Over Model 3 Emergency Door Handles
A worker unloads a Tesla Model 3 at a logistics drop zone in Seattle.
Photographer: M. Scott Brauer/BloombergTesla Inc.’s door handles are facing renewed scrutiny in the US after federal auto safety regulators opened a probe into the emergency releases in certain Model 3 vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it’s evaluating claims that the mechanical door release “is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency,” according to a filing on the agency’s website. The move stems from a petition filed by Kevin Clouse, a Tesla owner in Georgia who says he was trapped in his vehicle in 2023 and requested a defect investigation. NHTSA said it hasn’t decided whether to grant or deny the petition.