by Brad Anderson
- Tesla door releases vary widely by model and seat location.
- Some owners have bought glass breakers for emergencies.
- After crashes, manual latches can be hard to locate fast.
If you’re buying a new car, particularly one with a safety rating as high as a new Tesla, it might come as a surprise to learn that in certain accidents or fires, the car’s electric doors have failed to open. There have been documented cases where passengers were trapped inside, unable to escape. In some instances, even emergency responders had difficulty opening the retractable doors from the outside.
Read: How To Open Tesla Doors With No Power In An Emergency
While Tesla includes manual door releases in both the front and rear seats of newer models, not every owner knows where to find them. Depending on the model year, these latches are often tucked away out of sight. Add the chaos and panic of a crash, and the situation quickly becomes dangerous.
After several fatal accidents where occupants couldn’t escape in time, Tesla owners have taken matters into their own hands.
What If the Power Cuts Out?
More and more Tesla owners have started buying glass breakers just in case they get trapped. For the Model 3, Model Y, Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck, there’s some reassurance. The front doors include an easy-to-find mechanical latch in front of the side window switches, so escaping from them if the car suffers a power cut shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as you know the latches are there.
Rear seat passengers, however, face a more complicated escape route. For example, in Model 3s built from 2024 onwards, rear passengers have to pull out a piece of plastic in the door pocket and then tug forward on a loop to release the door manually. It’s the same with the Model Y and a similar setup for the Cybertruck.
Things are more convoluted and potentially dangerous in the Model X, as the rear speaker grille needs to be removed to gain access to a cord to pull open the door. In the Model S, the mechanical release cable is found behind the carpet under the seats.
Tesla Model 3s built before 2023 are worse and don’t even have a manual release. Having a glass breaker in easy reach for anyone riding in the rear of a Tesla could be a very good idea.
Creative Solutions Emerge
Independent notes that some entrepreneurial Tesla owners have begun selling accessories designed to make manual door latches easier to reach and use.
A quick online search reveals an entire niche market built around these solutions, offering products like custom cords from Tesery and EV Dynamics. There are also numerous other options on Amazon, including items from SWLOR and YONZEE, along with various pull-cord kits tailored for different Tesla models.
Also: China Is Banning Tesla-Style Door Handles
Some rideshare owners who use Tesla models have even started telling riders how they can free themselves if they get stuck after a crash.
One such driver, Chad Lincoln, works for Uber in Tennessee. He told the newspaper that he now delivers a short “flight attendant” style announcement when new riders enter his Model 3, explaining exactly how to locate and use the emergency door release.
Tesla is aware of the concerns. In September, chief designer Franz von Holzhausen acknowledged that the company was working on redesigning the door handles. He noted that integrating the electric and manual releases into a single button “makes a lot of sense.”