U.S. auto regulator opens defect investigation into Tesla Model 3 door releases

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has, on Wednesday, opened a defect investigation into the Tesla Model 3’s emergency door system, according to a notice posted on its website that said the lever on these doors may be “hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency.”

The review covers 179,071 Model 3 sedans from the 2022 model year, and comes after a petition filed by Kevin Clouse, a Tesla owner in Georgia, who said he was trapped inside his car when it caught fire in 2023.

“I was forced to climb to the back seat and break the rear passenger window with my legs to escape while the interior was burning,” said Kevin.

NHTSA expands ongoing investigation into Tesla’s mountain of door issues

Just last September, the NHTSA opened a separate case into the Tesla Model Y after several reports of children getting stuck when the 12-volt battery died, since that makes the electric handles stop working.

The Model 3 and Model Y are the company’s best-selling cars, so these cases could impact a large group of drivers.

A Bloomberg investigation found that at least 15 people have died in the past decade in situations where Tesla doors didn’t open after a crash. Some of the deaths allegedly involved first responders unable to open the doors fast enough when the cars caught fire.

During the design phase for the Model 3, engineers flagged concerns about electric handles not working in an emergency. As previously reported by Cryptopolitan, those concerns were brought directly to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who still chose to go with the same design, as long as a manual release was included.

Musk faced concerns years ago, but pushed ahead

The issue goes back to how Tesla builds its cars. The Model S, which launched in 2012, was the first model the company built from scratch. It came with flush door handles that slide out when touched. The design helped reduce wind drag and noise, but it also added complexity. If the power is cut, those electric handles don’t function.

Elon Musk admitted there were problems with these door sensors as early as 2013. “We’ve got quite a fancy door handle, and occasionally the sensor would malfunction,” he told analysts during a quarterly earnings call. “So you’d pull on the door handle, and it wouldn’t open. Obviously, it’s quite vexing for a customer.”

In 2021, Elon told analysts that the issue had been resolved. “Essentially, the door-handle incidents have gone to virtually zero.” But that’s not what Clouse and others are reporting in 2025.

After Clouse filed his petition last month, NHTSA started reviewing whether to launch a full recall. The agency hasn’t made a final decision yet, but the investigation is live. Bloomberg also confirmed details of Clouse’s 2023 fire incident, including the fact that he had to kick through a window to get out while the cabin filled with smoke.

Tesla shares dropped 0.7% at the close of the market on Christmas Eve, following a shortened session. The company has not issued a public response to the investigation. Clouse, meanwhile, is still waiting for answers.

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