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2020 TESLA MODEL S — UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash1 injured · 1879042 · 2023-03-09

Vehicle

Make
TESLA
Model
MODEL S
Year
2020
Manufacturer
Tesla, Inc.
Component
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Speed
30 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
Yes
Vehicle towed
Yes

Narrative

Car: Tesla Model S (and, I think, Model X). Year: 2020 (and, I think, prior and later) After a battery power loss (as can...and did...happen in an accident), many doors/compartments CAN NOT BE OPENED. Four safety problems: 1. Rear passenger doors: can not be opened without power. The car manual briefly describes how to open them (pulling up the carpet, finding a secret cable, and pulling it). EVEN WITH THE MANUAL IN HAND, I was unable to find the cable or open the doors (I was trying this from the junkyard, a month after the accident). If I had passengers in back at the time of the accident, their safety would be greatly endangered ... particularly if conditions (e.g., fire, traffic) required egress from the car! This car should never be allowed on the market, or on the road, with the incredibly dangerous safety flaw! (Rear doors could not be opened from outside, since there was no power to pop the handle up, either.) 2. Trunk cannot be opened without power. Imagine: I have fire-fighting equipment in the trunk ... and there's a fire. How can I open the trunk to get it? 3. Glove box cannot be opened without power. Imagine: I have medicine, and/or important papers, and/or a legal (locked) firearm with ammo in the glove box. Being unable to get such things out can result in serious problems! 4. I'm not sure, but I think the frunk ("front trunk") also cannot be opened without power. 2020 Tesla Model S (and, IIRC, Model X)

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11511098
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown