— The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has decided against opening a federal investigation into 2022 Tesla Model 3 door handles and the emergency mechanical door releases that are involved if those door handles fail.
But even though the petition to investigate the components has been denied, what will result is much bigger than a federal investigation.
Out of 179,000 model year 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles, NHTSA is aware of one complaint about the mechanical emergency door handles which claims the emergency releases are concealed and unlabeled.
The same person who filed the door handle complaint also filed the petition to investigate the vehicles.
According to the emergency door release complaint:
"During a head-on collision on [XXX] in Georgia, the electrical system in my 2022 Tesla Model 3 lost power and the electric door releases stopped functioning. The vehicle interior caught fire and I was trapped inside. I was unaware of the location of the hidden mechanical emergency door release because it is not visibly labeled, not explained upon delivery, and not intuitive in an emergency."
The Tesla driver says he was forced to climb into the back seat and break the rear passenger window with his legs while the interior of the Model 3 was burning. He suffered a broken hip, broken arm, and later required a full hip replacement.
The petition alleges the controls for the emergency mechanical door release "are not accessible and clearly identifiable."
If the door handle depends on electrical power to function and the power is lost due to a crash, fire or any reason, occupants will be in trouble if they don't know where to locate the emergency door releases.
The 2022 Tesla Model 3 has a mechanical release for the front doors located in front of the window switch on the door's interior, as pictured above. But NHTSA says the subject vehicles do not have mechanical releases for the back doors.
The owner's manual also has a section that shows how to open doors from the interior when the vehicle has no electrical power. However, the illustration does not have a label to identify it as the emergency door release.
Although the government denied the Tesla Model 3 safety defect petition, another petition did get the approval of NHTSA and will lead to major changes to new vehicles, not just Tesla.
According to safety regulators, it's unlikely a safety defect would be involved with the emergency door handle releases, "and the issue is best addressed through the rulemaking process."
NHTSA's Office of Rulemaking received a separate petition to create a new regulation to "mandate a robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles." NHTSA granted this request and has begun rulemaking proceedings.
The creation of a new door handle regulation will affect all new vehicles in the U.S.