US agency rejects petition seeking Tesla door-release defect probe

By Akash Sriram and ‌David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, July ​24 (Reuters) - ​The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has denied a petition seeking a defect investigation into the emergency mechanical door release ‌on about 180,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles.

NHTSA said the petition did ⁠not present evidence of a likely safety-related defect warranting an investigation and that the ‌issue would be more appropriately ‌addressed through an ongoing rulemaking process.

The petition covered about 180,000 model-year 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles and alleged the manual door release was difficult ​to locate after a crash if the vehicle lost power, increasing the risk of occupants getting trapped.

Current federal safety rules governing vehicle door ⁠locks and latches do not address the labeling or location of emergency mechanical door releases.

The agency said ​it had granted a separate petition to consider whether to issue regulations to require an emergency door egress system to ​address the risk of occupant entrapment in ‌vehicles during electrical power failures.

"NHTSA will gather additional information and data, and solicit public comments, to determine if a rulemaking ⁠for a new safety standard is appropriate," the agency said.

NHTSA said the regulatory process rather than a defect investigation was the appropriate way to address the issue. ⁠NHTSA often takes years to propose and issue new regulations.

Tesla did not immediately respond to ​a request for comment.

Tesla's electronically operated door handles have faced scrutiny after several crashes in which occupants were reportedly unable to exit their vehicles after losing power, prompting ‌broader calls for stricter federal safety standards governing emergency door releases.

The agency said it had a single consumer complaint ‌involving a 2022 Model 3 that alleged the mechanical door release was concealed ⁠and unlabeled after the vehicle lost ‌electrical power in a ​front-impact crash. The petition cited the same vehicle.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Shinjini Ganguli, ‌Kirsten Donovan)

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