They crash, stop working, fail. Teslas’ door handles have disappointed customers. Model Y 2021 will be investigated.
Tesla, Elon Musk’s vehicle manufacturer, is facing a series of criticisms due to failures on the electronic door handles of the Model Y 2021, who became the target of investigation by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
According to information from Bloomberg, more than 140 customers presented this component to the agency.
According to consumers, the car handles got stuck and stopped working. Furthermore, these occurrences appear to have been more frequent when the car’s voltage batteries failed.
The result was that adults and children were unable to use the mechanical handles and became trapped inside the vehicles. At least four drivers had to break the windows to gain access to the interior of the car. In response, Tesla promised to rethink the design of these components.
The door handle problem is not exclusive to Tesla. Recently, a Chinese BYD SUV caught fire and a person was trapped inside while others tried to open the car to get him out, without success. The 31-year-old driver did not survive, and the accident raised concerns and questions about the reliability and safety of the brand’s electric models.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology now requires external and internal mechanical door handles that can be operated without tools, even after accidents.
As the Chinese market has an important influence on the automotive sector, it is likely that the guideline will end up being expanded to the rest of the world. If this is the case, the rules should be applied in China in 2027, a very close date for the industry.
So far, it is known that Tesla is rethinking handle design of your cars and must use a mechanical opening system on the inside, which would work in conjunction with the electronic system. The other manufacturers did not comment on how the changes in China will affect their models.
