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I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such a

I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such as after a collision). In the front, there's a manual release in the front seat that's accessible if you know where to look, but would be easy to miss in an emergency. In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to pull out a floor mat and then pop open a panel that requires a metal tool to extract, and then reach blindly into a hole to pull the release. And this process damages the car, so you can't really practice in a non-emergency.[0] I couldn't believe I was actually understanding it correctly and that this could be legal in the US, so I called Tesla's hotline and asked how to exit the vehicle in an emergency. The Tesla rep said it's easy to activate the manual release if you know where to look, so I asked how passengers unfamiliar with the car are supposed to use it to escape in an emergency. The rep said, "Oh, it's just a quick 5-minute explanation when they get in." Apparently, because Tesla decided to put this stupid design on their door rather than one that works without elecricity, it's now the car owner's responsibility to sit every passenger through a 5-minute safety briefing as if they hopped into a 747. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PbRBbIGnv4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PbRBbIGnv4

IncreasePosts 1y ago
I have a model Y and it is the first car in my life where I need to give passengers a tutorial on how to enter/exit the car. Also, my mom in the front passenger seat just assumed the emergency door release was the normal one(because she has never pushed a small button to open a door in a car before), and she pulled it and a big "WARNING! YOU MIGHT BREAK YOUR WINDOWS DOING THAT" message popped up on the screen.
dgarrett 1y ago
> In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to pull out a floor mat and then pop open a panel that requires a metal tool to extract, and then reach blindly into a hole to pull the release. And this process damages the car, so you can't really practice in a non-emergency. Just so you know, this is improved the latest (2023+) Model 3. There is now an easily removable panel in the door pocket, with a yellow cable to release the latch.[0] I still hope they improve the mechanism to not require this, but they did at least improve it a bit in the latest model. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jhCz12SKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jhCz12SKM
- ashton314 1y ago
  Well, they put a sign on the trash can that says “this is in fact on fire” so you know that they’re aware it’s a dumpster fire.
  - duskwuff 1y ago
    "Bu look, you found the notice didn't you?" "Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked file cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard."
  - dzhiurgis 1y ago
    There’s 5 to 10 unique things about Tesla, esp at that price point. But yes let’s focus on door handles and how they behave in an edge case of an edge case.
    - ponector 1y ago
      Right, you don't need doors to be easy to open in case of emergency. Because you are a good man, emergency never occurs to you.
      - dzhiurgis 1y ago
        Once again - edge case of an edge case. Emergency openings are there, but not perfect. Next.
    - mtlynch 1y ago
      The first edge case is a collision. What's the second?
      - phatskat 1y ago
        A collision where you lose power. I mean, let’s be real - it’s just when the door loses power, or the switch gets damaged, or… I feel there’s plenty of times when a manual latch is preferable.
rightbyte 1y ago
> I couldn't believe I was actually understanding it correctly and that this could be legal I think laws are usually reactive. Why would there be a ban on such a silly thing.
- vkou 1y ago
  It's not about banning a particular design, it's about mandating that emergency egress is possible. If you're ever trapped in a burning car and can't open the fucking doors you might find that requirement to be a little bit less silly than you think it to be.
  - tartuffe78 1y ago
    No other car company has screwed it up this badly before. Tesla may force it to happen if enough deaths occur.
    - brandonagr2 1y ago
      If a car has a physical child lock switch engaged, it's not possible to open the door from the inside even in an emergency. Clearly rear emergency egress is not a requirement, a child opening the door while going down the highway is a much larger risk.
      - dingaling 1y ago
        Child locks can be automatically disengaged under high deceleration.
    - weaksauce 1y ago
      there was a rich woman that drove into a lake on her estate and drowned because she couldn't open the door in time. you'd think a high profile death of a rich person would change something at least.
      - vkou 1y ago
lawlessone 1y ago
>as if they hopped into a 747. I think escaping the 747 is , thankfully for those who fly , easier.
- buildsjets 1y ago
  The handles are painted bright red, they have glow strips in the dark, and there are capital letter simple-English and pictographic instructions on how to use them clearly visible.
jp191919 1y ago
In my experience, most passengers unfamiliar with the Tesla Model 3 instinctively use the emergency door release in non-emergency situations, rather than pressing the button as intended.
mebizzle 1y ago
Id like to point out that the comment about the manual release is a bit disingenuous since most people accidentally use them when trying to get out as it is more akin to a traditional car than the intended method for opening the doors which is a thumb button. In my anecdotal experience anyway.

IncreasePosts 1y ago

I have a model Y and it is the first car in my life where I need to give passengers a tutorial on how to enter/exit the car. Also, my mom in the front passenger seat just assumed the emergency door release was the normal one(because she has never pushed a small button to open a door in a car before), and she pulled it and a big "WARNING! YOU MIGHT BREAK YOUR WINDOWS DOING THAT" message popped up on the screen.

dgarrett 1y ago

> In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to pull out a floor mat and then pop open a panel that requires a metal tool to extract, and then reach blindly into a hole to pull the release. And this process damages the car, so you can't really practice in a non-emergency. Just so you know, this is improved the latest (2023+) Model 3. There is now an easily removable panel in the door pocket, with a yellow cable to release the latch.[0] I still hope they improve the mechanism to not require this, but they did at least improve it a bit in the latest model. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jhCz12SKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jhCz12SKM

ashton314 1y ago
Well, they put a sign on the trash can that says “this is in fact on fire” so you know that they’re aware it’s a dumpster fire.
- duskwuff 1y ago
  "Bu look, you found the notice didn't you?" "Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked file cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard."
- dzhiurgis 1y ago
  There’s 5 to 10 unique things about Tesla, esp at that price point. But yes let’s focus on door handles and how they behave in an edge case of an edge case.
  - ponector 1y ago
    Right, you don't need doors to be easy to open in case of emergency. Because you are a good man, emergency never occurs to you.
    - dzhiurgis 1y ago
      Once again - edge case of an edge case. Emergency openings are there, but not perfect. Next.
  - mtlynch 1y ago
    The first edge case is a collision. What's the second?
    - phatskat 1y ago
      A collision where you lose power. I mean, let’s be real - it’s just when the door loses power, or the switch gets damaged, or… I feel there’s plenty of times when a manual latch is preferable.

rightbyte 1y ago

> I couldn't believe I was actually understanding it correctly and that this could be legal I think laws are usually reactive. Why would there be a ban on such a silly thing.

vkou 1y ago
It's not about banning a particular design, it's about mandating that emergency egress is possible. If you're ever trapped in a burning car and can't open the fucking doors you might find that requirement to be a little bit less silly than you think it to be.
- tartuffe78 1y ago
  No other car company has screwed it up this badly before. Tesla may force it to happen if enough deaths occur.
  - brandonagr2 1y ago
    If a car has a physical child lock switch engaged, it's not possible to open the door from the inside even in an emergency. Clearly rear emergency egress is not a requirement, a child opening the door while going down the highway is a much larger risk.
    - dingaling 1y ago
      Child locks can be automatically disengaged under high deceleration.
  - weaksauce 1y ago
    there was a rich woman that drove into a lake on her estate and drowned because she couldn't open the door in time. you'd think a high profile death of a rich person would change something at least.
    - vkou 1y ago

lawlessone 1y ago

>as if they hopped into a 747. I think escaping the 747 is , thankfully for those who fly , easier.

buildsjets 1y ago
The handles are painted bright red, they have glow strips in the dark, and there are capital letter simple-English and pictographic instructions on how to use them clearly visible.

jp191919 1y ago

In my experience, most passengers unfamiliar with the Tesla Model 3 instinctively use the emergency door release in non-emergency situations, rather than pressing the button as intended.

mebizzle 1y ago

Id like to point out that the comment about the manual release is a bit disingenuous since most people accidentally use them when trying to get out as it is more akin to a traditional car than the intended method for opening the doors which is a thumb button. In my anecdotal experience anyway.