The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into roughly 174,000 Tesla Model Y vehicles from the 2021 model year following reports of electronic door handle failures — reports Reuters.
According to the agency, it has received nine separate complaints describing situations where exterior door handles became inoperative. In several of these cases, parents had exited the vehicle to place or remove a child in the rear seat, only to find themselves unable to reopen the door. Four of the incidents reportedly escalated to parents breaking a window to regain access to their vehicle.
Tesla vehicles do feature manual door releases inside the cabin, but NHTSA noted that children may not be able to reach or operate these mechanisms without assistance. The regulator’s preliminary review indicates that the failures appear tied to insufficient voltage being delivered to the electronic locks. Repair invoices from owners often cite replacement of the vehicle’s low-voltage battery after the incidents, but none reported seeing a low-voltage battery warning beforehand.
This preliminary evaluation is the first step in NHTSA’s defect investigation process. If the agency determines the issue poses an unreasonable safety risk, it could lead to a recall. Tesla is yet to publicly comment on the probe.
Electronic door handles are only the latest in a string of Tesla features to draw scrutiny from NHTSA. The agency previously launched an investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, while earlier this year, it also opened a probe into the company’s new “Actually Smart Summon” feature.
The Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, has become central to the automaker’s global growth strategy. A potential recall of nearly 174,000 units from the 2021 model year would represent a significant development — both for Tesla and for its customers.
