U.S. traffic safety officials have launched an investigation into more than 170,000 Tesla Model Y vehicles after reports that faulty door handles left children trapped inside, forcing some parents to smash windows to reach them.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a Sept. 15 notice that its preliminary evaluation covers about 174,000 Model Y SUVs from the 2021 model year. The probe follows nine complaints that exterior electronic door handles became inoperative, apparently because of low 12-volt battery voltage.
“The most commonly reported scenarios involved parents exiting the vehicle after a drive cycle in order to remove a child from the back seat or placing a child in the back seat before starting a drive cycle,” the agency said. “In those events, the parents were unable to reopen a door to regain access to the vehicle.”…