‘[They] knew or should have known’

Electric vehicles are marketed as sleek, high-tech upgrades over traditional gas-powered cars, especially when it comes to their designs. Tesla has leaned into that image since its conception, promoting features meant to feel futuristic and premium. But, according to a lawsuit, one of those features is actually a problem for owners, and it has to do with something as basic as opening a door. 

What’s happening?

Road & Track reported that the class action lawsuit claims that electronically actuated door handles on 2014-16 Tesla Model S cars “routinely fail” after a few years of normal use. Filed by Florida resident John Urban, the suit alleged that three of the four door handles on his 2014 Model S Ludicrous had stopped working by 2022. Urban said he had to move to the driver’s seat through the passenger door. 

The complaint is that the door handle’s malfunction is beyond an inconvenience and in the territory of a design defect, especially given the car’s premium price and futuristic features. According to the lawsuit, Tesla “knew or should have known” about the issue, considering it redesigned the handle to reduce failure rates, per Road & Track. 

Why are reliable door handles important?

Door handles are necessary for basic access into a car, and failures may be especially stressful or dangerous in daily use or emergencies. And this isn’t the first public issue with the company, as Tesla has been sued by other customers. One person said the company used a “diversion team” to try to cancel service appointments related to a driving-range complaint. 

Tesla has also been sued for software updates that allegedly reduced driving range and charging speeds for certain Model S vehicles. In another case, Tesla faced legal challenges over Louisiana’s ban on its direct-to-consumer sales model. All in all, many of the issues about Teslas seem to be rooted in software problems that put drivers in bad positions. 

What’s being done about e-door handles?

Lawmakers in the United States and China are reviewing the safety of electronic door latches, per Road & Track. On Jan. 6, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly introduced the Securing Accessible Functional Emergency Exit Act to require EVs to have manual releases that are easy to find on each door. 

For readers who are thinking about switching to an EV, it’s important to compare models, understand charging options, and choose the right car that fits daily needs. According to Reuters, EVs and hybrids are much cleaner than gas-powered cars over their lifetimes since they produce no tailpipe pollution and can run on renewable energy.

“When a simple design/operation becomes a complicated one=Fail,” one Road & Track reader wrote.

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