Tesla drivers are buying escape tools and new cars to avoid getting trapped inside

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It’s not just owners who are worried. Because Teslas make up a notable portion of rideshare and rental car fleets, the doors have become a concern among passengers, too.

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Chad Lincoln, a Tennessee-based Uber driver, recently rented a 2022 Model 3 from Hertz after his car was involved in an accident. During the two weeks that he drove the Tesla, he said riders asked him on three occasions how to escape if needed.

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“We went over my flight attendant’s pitch on how to get out, and the strap to pull,” he said.

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Although Lincoln, 47, likes the sophisticated technology in the Model 3, he said he is not considering a Tesla as he looks for a replacement for his totaled car.

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“The safety concerns around the manual release is really big for me,” he said. “I really take the responsibility of my passengers’ safety seriously.”

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Michael Brooks, executive director at the Center for Auto Safety, said he’d like to see NHTSA set new standards for doors, including making it clear where releases are located. Consumers are unlikely to know or consider door design when they’re car shopping, he said.

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“They’re not thinking, ‘How am I going to escape this vehicle on the off-chance that I’m in a crash or have a battery fire?’” Brooks said. “The way the doors operate and the potential emergency consequences of that is very, very far down the list for most car buyers.”

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Teslas have two batteries: a high-voltage pack that propels the car and a low-voltage pack that operates the windows and doors. If the low-voltage battery dies or is disabled, the doors may not unlock.

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U.S. auto safety rules do have requirements for doors to prevent passengers from being ejected in a crash. But they don’t require vehicles to have a manual backup should battery-operated handles lose power.

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NHTSA said failing to provide drivers and passengers with an adequate ability to get in and out of their cars could constitute a safety defect requiring a recall. The agency also said it has investigated electronic or battery issues involving door handles, and influenced recalls by Ford Motor Co. and Fisker Inc. over defective electronic door handles.

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Some owners are taking it upon themselves to spread the word as a public service. After reading about college students who were unable to escape a Tesla after a crash, Bri Policarpio realized she wasn’t sure how to exit her 2023 Model Y in the event of an emergency. So she made an informational TikTok video.

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“I looked up what you’re supposed to do and I saw that every model has different manual releases,” said Policarpio, 27, a start-up marketing manager from Los Angeles. “That’s one thing you would assume is very intuitive.”

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In the video, which she captioned “mandatory safety briefing,” Policarpio demonstrates how to use the front manual release. The clip has racked up 1.4 million views.

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Owners are also bolstering their releases with straps, cords and brightly colored handle attachments to make them more accessible.

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“I wish Tesla would have provided something like this,” reads a November review from a verified purchaser who bought a pair of nylon pull cords on Amazon. “How is anyone supposed to find this release in an emergency?”

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Product images for another item, a Model Y-compatible manual door release kit, show a Tesla with smoke billowing out of the car and another partially submerged in water. “Don’t get trapped!” the listing says.

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Geter, the Tesla owner from North Carolina, had already bought a glass breaker for her 2021 Model Y before her son became stuck in the car this spring. But the tool was locked inside, too.

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Over the next several minutes, she made a series of phone calls: First to her husband and then to her dad, who can normally unlock the car on their phones using the Tesla app. That feature doesn’t work when the low-voltage battery dies, so Geter tried the automaker, which she said was also unable to immediately help, followed by 911.

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Geter was able to reach her son after first responders arrived and attempted to break the windows — one of the doors suddenly opened on its own, she said.

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“I don’t know what we were going to do if that door didn’t pop open,” she said. “I just felt so helpless at that moment.”

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