Illustration by 731. Source Photos: Virginia State Police (2), LA County Medical Examiner, Torrance Fire Department
15 People Have Died in Crashes Where Tesla Doors Wouldn’t Open
There are no official statistics on the dangers of electric handles. So Bloomberg did its own analysis.
For years, people have lodged complaints about Tesla Inc.’s doors — to US regulators, on social media, in legal filings — after incidents ranging from the mundane to the truly terrifying.
Just this month, a Virginia state trooper bashed the window of a burning Tesla Model Y when its doors wouldn’t open and pulled the driver to safety, a dramatic rescue captured by the police officer’s dashcam. Certain aspects of the episode — doors ceasing to function normally after a crash, leading to a close call involving first responders — mirror the circumstances of scenes Bloomberg News has reported on for months.