If you want to feel like you are living in a sci-fi film, buy a Cybertruck. It is shiny, angular, and looks exactly like something a billionaire would use to colonise Mars. However, it appears Elon Musk forgot one tiny, insignificant detail during the design phase: sometimes people like to leave their cars. Especially when those cars are on fire.
Last November in Piedmont, three young adults died after their Cybertruck hit a tree and burst into flames. Now, usually, you would just pull the door handle and hop out. But Tesla is too “cool” for handles. They prefer electronic buttons powered by a low voltage battery. When that battery takes a hit during a crash, the doors basically become part of a permanent steel tomb.
The Secret Escape Room
The Tsukahara family is suing Tesla because their daughter, Krysta, survived the crash but died from suffocation. Her friend tried to open the doors from the outside, but the buttons did nothing. He eventually had to smash a window with a tree branch. By then, it was too late.
It turns out that Teslas do have manual releases, but they are hidden like Easter eggs in a video game. In the front, it is an unmarked lever. In the back? Good luck. You might find it under a rug, behind a speaker grill, or tucked inside a plastic flap in the door pocket. Nothing says “safety first” like having to perform a scavenger hunt while your car is a furnace. Most owners have no idea these latches even exist.
Safety or Just Good Marketing?
Tesla loves to brag about its five star crash ratings. They are great at surviving the actual impact, but they seem to fail the “not being roasted alive” portion of the test. Regulators at NHTSA have finally opened a defect investigation into the Model Y door handles after receiving over 140 complaints about people being trapped. We are not just talking about crashes either. Parents have found themselves locked out with their toddlers inside because the battery died while they were at the supermarket.
The company usually blames the drivers. In this case, they pointed out the driver was over the legal alcohol limit. While that explains the crash, it does not explain why the doors refused to open for the sober passengers in the back who were desperately trying to climb into the front seat to escape.
The Cost of Cool
Other car makers like Rivian and Fisker are copying this “flush handle” trend because it looks sleek. But China is already considering a ban on these death traps, and Europe might not be far behind. It turns out that when people buy a car, they generally expect the doors to work even if the electricity doesn’t.
Elon Musk’s chief designer says they are “looking into” a redesign. That is comforting. Perhaps they can look into it before the next “safest car in the world” turns into a high tech crematorium.
Maybe next time you are car shopping, check if the door has a physical lever before you worry about the 0 to 60 speed. It is a bit old fashioned, but it is surprisingly handy for staying alive.
Related Topic: Tech
