Tesla Faces Increasing Lawsuits Over Electric Door Handles
The American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is coming under increased scrutiny from regulatory authorities in the United States due to potential malfunctions in its electric door handles, which fail to open during emergencies, complicating rescue efforts to reach passengers.
For the second time in two weeks, Tesla, based in Austin, Texas, is facing a lawsuit related to its distinctive door handles in Florida, concerning access to the vehicle from the outside instead of requiring passengers to exit.
The company is already dealing with another lawsuit claiming that its doors cannot be opened from the inside during accidents, which could lead to severe consequences.
A Bloomberg investigation conducted in December revealed that 15 people have died in traffic accidents due to being unable to open the doors of Tesla vehicles after collisions.
Tesla has contributed to the introduction of “integrated” electronic door latches that disappear into the door frame, a design adopted by several car manufacturers.
Business Insider reported the details of a new lawsuit against Tesla’s Model S sedans, produced from 2014 to 2016.
The lawsuit states that the electronic door handles “frequently fail” after a few years of normal use. When this occurs, owners report being unable to enter their vehicles, having to wait for repairs, or resorting to alternative solutions just to drive their cars.
Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s chief designer, stated to CNN that the company is working to integrate the manual and electronic opening mechanisms of the doors, which currently operate separately, to facilitate and expedite exiting the vehicle in emergencies.
Holzhausen added in a media statement: “I believe that the idea of integrating the electronic and manual mechanism into a single button makes a lot of sense, and that’s what we are currently working on.”
It remains unclear whether Tesla is developing a solution for all its vehicles or just for new cars, but experts suggest that the company may not be able to merge the two door-opening methods in current models.
Reports indicate that regulatory bodies in the United States, Germany, South Korea, and the Netherlands have warned about the disappearance of door handles in Tesla vehicles and those of its Chinese competitors, such as BYD and Xiaomi.
These concerns have prompted U.S. Congress member Robin Kelly to introduce new legislation aimed at requiring automakers to provide safer door handles.
Kelly stated: “Profit and even appearance should not come before people’s lives. Elon Musk’s designs and Tesla cars are neither safe nor effective, and they have cost lives.”
More than 35,000 consumers in the United States have recently signed a petition urging automakers to change the design of electric vehicle doors.
