Details of the incident

It looks like the Tesla Model Y’s electric doors may be the reason passengers are trapped inside the electric car. They stopped turning on when the power went out after the accident. Rescuer Rick Harper, who gave an interview to a local newspaper, said that he did not even realize there were other people inside because the smoke was so thick, and that only the driver was “desperately trying to get out” at that time. car, reports Channel 24 via Toronto Star link.

Police said that the accident occurred when the driver lost control of the steering wheel and hit the fence and then the pole. The impact caused the car to catch fire; probably one of the batteries is damaged.

Authorities continue their investigation into the accident and fire.

I don’t know if it’s the battery or something else
Rick Harper told reporters.

A Tesla car is being driven from the scene of the accident / Photo: Toronto Star

Although the accident occurred on October 24, the only details available so far are about the electronic doors used by Tesla and other automakers. They need power to open. The company has many disturbing stories of owners locking themselves in their cars without power, or doors suddenly stopping working because the kids were left inside and it was a hot summer outside. Some of these situations may be due to user error because Most Teslas are equipped with manual release levers from the inside. It is unknown whether this particular Model Y has an emergency door opening feature.

Be that as it may, although an alternative is available, these emergency measures are still criticized for being poorly designed and not intuitively understandable for some models. They usually require in-depth knowledge of the car, it seems not all owners know this door opening method. It’s even worse if it’s your first time driving a Tesla or you’re panicking because of the spread of fire and smoke.

This isn’t the first death of people trapped in a Tesla car:

• In 2019, the father of five was burned to death in his Model S after the automatic retractable door handles malfunctioned, preventing bystanders and first responders from rescuing him from the flames, his family alleged in a lawsuit.
• Another driver suffered almost the same fate in 2021. He claimed that when his Tesla Model S caught fire, he was briefly trapped inside due to a faulty high-tech door handle, but he eventually managed to escape.

Electric vehicle battery fires are among the worst and often require large amounts of water and several hours of work to extinguish. Therefore, a reliable way to exit the car in a critical situation was the bare minimum Tesla needed to do.