Tesla owners buy hammers over faulty doors

By Alimat Aliyeva

Owners of Tesla electric vehicles have started buying emergency hammers to break the glass in order to escape their cars due to malfunctioning doors, Azernews reports.

Reports indicate that some drivers and passengers have been trapped when the electronic mechanisms responsible for opening the doors failed. Erin Geter, a resident of North Carolina, shared that she even purchased a new Honda after her young son became stuck inside their Tesla.

According to a Bloomberg study, U.S. regulators have received over 140 complaints about jammed Tesla door handles since 2018. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into potential defects in the Model Y’s door mechanisms. Many taxi and car-sharing drivers now make it a point to show passengers where the emergency mechanical cable is located for opening Tesla doors.

Tesla’s head of design confirmed that the company is working on a redesign of the handles. However, Bloomberg notes that the location of emergency handles varies across Tesla models, which can confuse drivers and passengers in urgent situations.

Public concern has grown significantly: nearly 35,000 people have signed a petition urging Tesla to fix the design of its electronic doors. Interestingly, some safety experts suggest that this issue highlights a broader tension in modern car design — balancing sleek, high-tech features with practical, fail-safe mechanisms for emergencies.