The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a safety probe targeting approximately 179,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles from the 2022 model year. The inquiry focuses on the manual emergency door release mechanism.
The probe follows a petition arguing the manual release is hidden, unlabeled, and non-intuitive when electronic doors fail. This scrutiny follows reports of at least 15 fatalities in the past decade where occupants or rescuers could not open the doors of a crashed Tesla.
The investigation represents the initial step in determining if a safety defect exists but does not guarantee a recall. This action adds to several regulatory challenges facing the automaker, including a separate NHTSA probe into its advanced driver-assistance system.
Despite the regulatory news, Tesla stock showed resilience, rising slightly in pre-market trading.