How Trump's Big Beautiful Bill could impact your tax refunds While Tesla includes a manual door release for use in emergencies or power failures, experts have long argued that the mechanical releases are not consistently visible, labeled or intuitive, particularly for rear-seat passengers. Last month, Tesla was sued over a fiery Wisconsin crash that killed all five occupants of a Model S, who were allegedly trapped inside because of a design flaw that prevented them from opening the luxury sedan’s doors. Tesla vehicles rely primarily on electronic door latches, which open via buttons rather than traditional mechanical handles. Elon Musk’s Tesla is facing several lawsuits tied to deadly crashes. REUTERS The automaker has also been sued by families of two college students killed in a Cybertruck crash November last year in a San Francisco suburb, after allegedly being locked in the burning vehicle because of its door handle design. The opening of a defect petition does not mean a recall will be issued, but it marks the first step in a regulatory review process that could lead to further action if safety-related defects are confirmed. The auto regulator, NHTSA, said in September it had opened a preliminary evaluation into about 174,290 Model Y cars over reports of electronic door handles becoming inoperative. Filed under