The mother of 20-year-old man who died after becoming trapped in his burning Tesla Model Y is suing the company over its electronic door handles. It’s the latest wrongful death case centering on Tesla’s door handles, which have triggered numerous customer complaints over the years and is now under investigation by the federal safety regulators.
The lawsuit states that Samuel Tremblett was unable to escape his Model Y after crashing into a tree on October 29, 2025 in Easton, Massachusetts. Tremblett pleaded with 9-1-1 operators to rescue him, saying “I can’t breathe. It’s on fire. Help. Please. I’m going to die.”
Tesla’s door handles, which operate electronically and sit flush against the vehicle for improved aerodynamics, have attracted scrutiny in recent months after numerous cases in which occupants have become trapped in their vehicles after a crash. The suit includes details of at least 15 people who have died since 2016 in Tesla vehicles after being trapped inside by the electric door handles.
The lawsuit filed in US District Court in Massachusetts alleges that Tesla “carelessly, negligently, unskillfully, with gross negligence designed, manufactured, and marketed dangerously defective vehicles.” And it cites Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s assertion in a 2018 earnings call that “At Tesla, we’re absolutely hardcore about safety. You know, we go to great lengths to make the safest car in the world.”
China recently banned electronic handles, deeming them unsafe and requiring vehicle manufacturers to install mechanical ones instead. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating numerous complaints filed by Tesla owners, with a particular focus on children who have been locked inside the vehicle without any way to get out. Tesla’s vehicles contain manual door releases, but the agency notes that certain people, especially children, may not be able to operate them.
Tesla has said it is redesigning the door handles to combine the electronic and manual door-release mechanisms into one button. An investigation by Bloomberg in September last year found more than 140 US reports related to Tesla’s doors getting stuck since 2018.
