The family of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla, alleging its “dangerously defective” Cybertruck door handle design trapped her inside a burning vehicle, as first reported by The New York Times. The lawsuit, filed in a California court on Thursday, claims Tesla continued to sell its vehicles despite “repeated and direct notice” that its electronic door handles posed a serious risk of entrapment. In November 2024, the driver of a Cybertruck carrying three passengers hit a tree in Piedmont, California. The crash killed the driver, 19-year-old Soren Dixon, and one of the passengers, 20-year-old Jack Nelson. The lawsuit alleges Tsukahara survived the initial accident and was left with “minor injuries” while in the rear passenger seat. However, the Cybertruck caught fire “for an unknown reason,” and its electronic door system failed due to a loss of power, according to the lawsuit. Tsukahara’s family claims Tsukahara was unable to escape the burning vehicle, causing her to die from smoke inhalation and burns. A fourth passenger survived the accident. Read more: [https://www.theverge.com/news/791327/tesla-cybertruck-faulty-door-handles-wrongful-death-lawsuit](https://www.theverge.com/news/791327/tesla-cybertruck-faulty-door-handles-wrongful-death-lawsuit)
This is so egregious to me. This is either a **severely stupid oversight** *(which I find unlikely due to “repeated and direct notice” that its electronic door handles posed a serious risk of entrapment)* or **plain disregard for human life**.
Teslas are literally death traps with no escape. I don’t know why people buy them
Because they are outstanding vehicles - albeit with poorly designed door handles.
Gilbert Arenas's kid barely escaped this exact same situation. He was uninjured but unable to open doors from inside and only survived due to paramedics miraculously getting there in time break in and extract him. Nearly died from smoke inhalation, however.
There’s a manual release literally right there
Outstanding, indeed. Outstandingly likely to kill their occupants in crashes, especially where a subsequent fire is involved.
Like anyone needed more reasons not to buy Tesla.
What kind of moron thinks a cord hidden behind a panel is "right there"?
The kind of you responded to. The whole separate manual release thing is so stupid, I mean what was wrong with reliable electrically actuated mechanical lock?
Go read the comments on other subs. "There's a cable in the rear door pocket". Yes there is but if you don't know it's there, you're fucked! And even if there is a pre flight safety announcement, the average person has no clue how to get into that compartment. I wish this is followed by a class action and recall to retrofit the back doors of every Tesla ever sold.
This is horrific.
If the door handle worked they wouldn't need a manual release
And of course all tesla drivers always take the time to inform their passengers about how to use it.
Well half a million people bought teslas before the tax credit expires. I don't get it either.
A trolling child
That’s fucking heartbreakingly tragic. If my teenage daughter died in an accident like that, I can’t imagine how fucking devastated I’d be. I hope they don’t settle, I hope they get every penny from Elon musk personally.
Don’t show this to teslamotors or they will ban you
Afterwards, he said he still loved the Cyberturd.
*Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?* Tesla could have redesigned their door mechanisms years ago with zero impact on the car or how people use it. Same car, but with doors that don't require passengers find and open a hidden release cable as their lungs fill with smoke. That the original design didn't send Tesla's lawyers into hysterics when they first heard about the design is...mind-boggling.
That's awful. I can't imagine what her family is going through. No one will ever be able to convince me that Elon isn't inherently evil.
They're expecting passengers to know every little thing about the car they don't own and that's obviously ridiculous. How about Tesla just adheres to safety standards like the rest of the auto industry manages to do and that way people will stop burning to death in their cars because they didn't read the manual before going for a ride with a friend. I mean, *really.* ಠ_ಠ
There is a reason doors on commercial spaces usually have "panic bars." In an emergency it needs to be simple not convoluted. It should have never passed any government regulating body.
I mean, Tesla is a tech company. It just so happens they wrap it in the body of cars. Lord knows they know anything about the auto industry. /s
what if it gets damaged!? during collision? are you just SOL?!
Apparently. If you get broadsided and the door is crushed can you still reach into the door pocket, remove the rubber mat, remove the cap on the cable pocket and get to the cable? It's a very dangerous and very fucked up design.
Musk destroyed the evidence of his wrongdoings when Trump got into office and then left a mess behind.
> its location beneath a rubber mat on the bottom of the rear door’s map pocket isn’t easy to find. screw this vehicle and the dorks who implemented it into production _Who_ finds and _knows_ about a "map pocket" , "UNDER A MAT", in an emergency!?!? Then there's the matter of _simply pulling the loop the right way_ ...
Cause people who just got into a wreck and find their vehicle on fire are definitely going to be calm enough to dig through all that. /s
that entire car is a disgrace to industrial design... it's a patchwork of patchwork like some startup waiting to be acquired by an investor... the horror show that must be the software running that POS glorified FRIDGE on wheels....
Already banned from 3 pro tesla subs for pointing out the design flaws. Or how Musk is a white supremacist/nazi
It still amazes that these things are allowed in the US.
Its pretty convenient he pays 250m (pocket change to him) and all the government agencies investigating him go poof.
Why in the first place did she get into one? Guys please educate your family, stay away from this useless machine. Even on road or around you. Don’t rent them on Turo, or even remotely consider buying them, don’t test drive them. Say No to these stainless steel appliances.
I can't even remember how to turn on my high beams without wondering if they're on, or on auto
Im already banned because I posted here. And my previous account got perms banned from reddit for making snarky comments about being preemptively banned from the same sort of subs.
Well if 4 years of. Biden did not result in requiring safety for Teslas, 100% guaranteed it ain’t going to happen under Trump as well.
every damn handle needs to be mechanical in nature. that should be the regulation. no electronic handles at all. it's an OBVIOUS safety flaw. the handle inside and out should be a direct mechanism to the lock. that's it.
I always review the emergency door open video before riding in my friend’s model X. I will have no problem escaping one if the power dies, but I can’t say the same for my friend’s children in the back. The back seat door emergency opening is convoluted.
Practically no regulation and courts are easy to buy for corporations.
I added a safety strap in the rear door pockets. It is bright yellow says "pull", this will emergency unlock. They are like 2 bucks and take 10 minutes to install. I don't understand why everyone doesn't have them. Actually, I don't understand why Tesla don't add them from the factory? It would literally cost pennies.
Also, strangers or first responders trying to rescue incapacitated or clueless Tesla passengers who are supposed to figure it out roadside
There is a little hidden hatch you have to pry open; its almost impossible without tools. Then you need to fish out the steel wire that engages the emergency unlock. At least it is this way in the Y. Such a crazy design. You can however get a bright yellow emergency strap and attach that to the wire. I don't get why they didn't add that at the factory.
> There is a little hidden hatch you have to pry open; **its almost impossible without tools** That's terrible that it's almost impossible without tools... > You can however get a bright yellow emergency strap and attach that to the wire probably more steps to do in the assembly factory, and cost-cutting.
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She was 19, she was getting home late from a party with friends
Stupid people buy Tesla Cybertruck. The truck looks like a coffin on wheels. You buy it and it's your funeral.
No its actually a standard steel wire that pulls directly on the lock. It is mechanical connection. This one part is very basic and as reliable as could be. The emergency strap is third party, but it is nylon which despite being one of the cheapest materials, it is very very strong in tension. It is such a simple, cheap and reliable solution, I kinda bothers me Tesla didn't include it.
What’s more mind boggling is they’ve never been held even remotely accountable
A few months ago it came out that Kai Trump was not driving the one "Uncle" Elon gave her. Honestly really smart move.
Soon in your neigbhood, as a robottaxi, please read the manual before entering.
But, it was cheap
Exactly. I forget how to turn on my wipers half the time because it doesn't rain frequently enough to have the muscle memory. Imagine trying to find a cable in a rear door pocket after you crash your car and it's going up in flames.
It is code. I install doors controls as a profession. Egress of the public requires a method that is intuitive and expected. No exceptions. (applies to level 3 secret locations no less)
If the Tesla doesn’t have a signal stalk for the high beams, does it at least have a button on the floor that you push with your foot?
I always thought handles need to be easy and mechanical for emergencies, to allow exit and access How did this rule change
Basically, anything is legal here, until lots of people have already died or been hurt because of it. In the case of electronic door latches that are hard to open in a panic if the power fails, it’s just never come up before Tesla. 🤷♂️ EDIT: A better question is why are they *still* legal?
And if you can remember that the manual door opener for the rear is underneath the insert in the door, you then have to figure out that you have to pull the cable forward, don't pull it up in panic - it won't work.
the front doors are fine to exit manually, assuming you familiarize yourself with the location (I have to tell new passengers to press the open button & not use the manual release like a normal person). Many parents with kids modify the shitty corner-cutting back doors with high-vis handles. Me, i drive my Model Y with the rear seats down since I never have more than 1 passenger.
Elon should have designed a normal door handle that also pops the window when opening, but he wanted those cool buttons.
I think it's because something a kid could pull and open the door is also dangerous, plus it damages the trim when used.
I got my MY in late 2023, $6000 off list & $10,500 in gov't money on the hood. Coming from my 2018 LEAF, it's a helluva improvement. Not a fan of the exterior door prongs, but the front doors are OK; the mechanical bypass latch is easy enough to open if you know where it is...
I've seen news stories about 2 separate people burning to death in Teslas over the past couple of days. In one, there's a video. Musk is just incinerating people with these poorly designed death traps.
The good old days
Sure, but that is also the case for the front passenger door which has a manual release that does exactly this, including risk of trim damage etc.
I'd rather the DOT just declare it to be unfit for the roads and ban them entirely.
There won't be a Robotaxi until they get rid of Full Reckless Driving and that won't be anytime soon.
Something is seriously wrong with a product design if you have to watch a video to learn out to open the door.
As opposed to figuratively costing pennies?
It goes beyond safety. It's just plain poor engineering. This reminds me of some of the things Apple engineers think up.
It's 3 in one: Coffin, hearse and crematorium.
I took an Uber ride in one not long ago. The damn thing was noisy! Next time I Uber, I will definitely not select any rides from Teslas.
Where is the figurative release?
And in a wreck you can't rely on the electrical system being intact.
Imagine being a Tesla owner and dying in the back seat because you couldn’t get the owner’s manual pulled up in time.
If you still own a tessler by now, that's on you
At least there is one at all, unlike the model 3 which didn't have any way whatsoever of opening the rear doors after power failure for years until they were forced to fit them.
Wouldn’t trust the cameras
https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-workers-shared-sensitive-images-recorded-by-customer-cars-2023-04-06/ Everything that could go wrong has, really.
Did she try the manual release located on the door and that’s referenced in the owners manual?
Tesla made a lot of choices to change basic things about cars and that has obviously caused some deaths. It's stupid. Like their bizarre idea of not having a simple turn signal stalk like every other car has had for decades
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