A tragic accident in Germany on September 7 resulted in the deaths of a 43-year-old man and two children, aged nine, when their Tesla vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire. According to police reports, rescuers were unable to open the car’s electronic doors to save the occupants. The incident occurred just days after US authorities expressed concerns about the functionality of Tesla’s door handles.
Another child, also nine years old, was able to escape the burning vehicle and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. The identities of the victims have not been released.
Roman Jedrzejewski, a local business owner, witnessed the accident and attempted to help the trapped passengers. Despite his efforts, he was unable to open the car doors. “I wanted to save people,” he said. “I tried to open the car, but that didn’t work either. It was already so hot from the fire, but the right side of the car was still relatively undamaged.”
Tesla vehicles are equipped with electronic doors that open by pressing a button, as opposed to traditional pull handles. However, in the event of a crash, the vehicle’s power can fail, rendering the doors inoperable. While Tesla cars do have manual door releases inside, it may be difficult for children to access or operate them.
In April 2024, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, Germany’s automobile association, issued a warning about the potential safety risks associated with retractable door handles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US recently opened an investigation into approximately 174,000 Tesla Model Y cars from the 2021 model year. The investigation was prompted by reports of electronic door handles becoming inoperative.
This is not the first time a fatal incident involving Tesla’s door handles has been reported. Last year, four friends died in a Tesla crash in downtown Toronto when they were unable to open their car doors after the vehicle caught fire.