— Tesla Model Y door lock complaints have caused federal safety regulators to open an investigation into model year 2021 Tesla Model Y SUVs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation is focused on the Model Y electronic door locks and how they function from outside the vehicle because that circumstance is the only one in which there is no manual way to open the doors.
NHTSA has received complaints about the 2021 Tesla Model Y door locks and the inability to open the doors.
Most of the door lock complaints involved a parent getting out of the vehicle to remove a child or placing a child into the Model Y. Parents report they were unable to reopen the doors to get into the vehicles.
Four Model Y owners complained they had to break windows to get into the vehicles.
"Although Tesla vehicles have manual door releases inside of the cabin, in these situations, a child may not be able to access or operate the releases even if the vehicle’s driver is aware of them. As a result, in these instances, an occupant who remains inside a vehicle in this condition may be unable to be rapidly retrieved by persons outside of the vehicle." — NHTSA
Investigators currently believe the Tesla Model Y electronic door locks are not receiving enough voltage from the Model Y. Repair invoices say the low voltage battery had to be replaced. But Model Y drivers complain the low voltage battery warning lights failed to activate before the exterior door handles failed.
"The Tesla Owner’s Manual 'Jump Starting' and 'Opening the Hood with No Power' sections describe a multi-step process for restoring power to the electronic door locks in order to enable their operation from outside of the vehicle. This process requires applying 12 volts DC from a separate power source to two different points accessible from the vehicle’s exterior." — NHTSA
However, 2021 Tesla Model Y owners don't always have the ability to apply 12 volts DC from separate power sources.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the 2021 Tesla Model Y door lock investigation.