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BAL OTHER — LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK

1 fatalfirecrash4 injured · 2127521 · 2025-09-05

Vehicle

Make
BAL
Model
OTHER
Year
Manufacturer
BAL PRODUCTS GROUP
Component
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK

Severity

Deaths
1
Injured
4
Fire
Yes
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
Yes
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

All newer vehicles are equipped with automatic door locking when the vehicle is in motion. The incident I’m referring to is a fatal accident. The VW SUV swerved a hit a tree. The car burst into flames, trapping the unconscious teenagers inside. Passersby could not get the doors opened fast enough. One teenage girl died. Three were horribly burned and one had moderate injuries. My question is, when the airbags are deployed, why don’t the doors automatically unlock? It seems to be something automakers should concern themselves with developing. Even seemingly minor accidents could benefit with auto unlock. Airbags=Doors unlock. Thank you for your time.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11685361
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown