Germany crash highlights safety questions over Tesla’s retractable door handles

A Tesla driver and two 9-year-old children died after a crash into a tree in Germany on Sept. 7, with rescuers unable to open the vehicle’s electronic doors, police said. One additional 9-year-old child managed to escape and was airlifted to a hospital, authorities added. The victims were not identified, and police said the crash occurred in the Ruhr region on a Sunday morning. Local outlets, including WDR, reported the man was 43 years old and the children were 9. A witness from a nearby paint shop said he ran to the scene to help but could not open the doors, and the fire grew rapidly before responders could reach the occupants.

Tesla relies on retractable, electronically operated door handles that open when a button is pressed or proximity sensors are triggered. In a crash, however, the car’s electrical system can lose power, potentially leaving the doors inaccessible. Inside the vehicle, there are manual door releases designed for emergencies, but access to these controls can be limited, particularly for children or in a panicked environment. The incident has prompted renewed attention to how such door-handle systems perform in crashes and power-loss scenarios. Germany’s automobile association, ADAC, had warned in April 2024 that retractable door handles could pose a safety risk in some situations. The crash in Germany comes amid broader scrutiny of Tesla door-handle design in several markets.

This week, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into about 174,000 Tesla Model Y vehicles from the 2021 model year after reports that electronic door handles could become inoperative. The agency said the investigation covers potential issues with how the handles operate when power is low or unavailable, which could delay entry in an emergency. The developments in the United States accompany previous safety reviews and consumer alerts surrounding Tesla door hardware in other regions. Separately, Canadian authorities reported a fatal incident in downtown Toronto last year in which four friends died after a Tesla crashed and caught fire and door handles could not be opened, according to CBC.

The German crash has renewed questions about the reliability of electronic door systems in emergency conditions and how quickly bystanders can assist, particularly when power losses may impede access. Observers note that while vehicles include manual releases inside the cabin, those mechanisms are not always easily reachable or obvious to nonoccupants, and children may not be able to operate them effectively. Rescuers and investigators are expected to examine vehicle design, the sequence of events during the crash, and the role that door-handle architecture may have played in delaying access to occupants.

The incident in Germany, occurring just days after U.S. regulators opened a formal inquiry into Model Y door-handle behavior, adds to a growing international discussion about safety design in electric vehicles. Auto-safety advocates have urged automakers to consider alternative door-entry solutions or fail-safes that remain operable during power losses, as manufacturers increasingly rely on electronic systems that assume full electrical power. As investigations continue, authorities are likely to review whether there were any contributing factors such as airbags, seatbelts, or rapid-fire ignition of the fire, alongside door-handle performance.

In the meantime, families and responders affected by the German crash are awaiting official findings, while the broader public awaits clearer guidance on best practices for rescuers dealing with modern EV access systems. The incident underlines a key tension in the Technology & AI era: as vehicle hardware becomes increasingly automated and electronically controlled, ensuring robust, human-accessible emergency controls remains critical for safety.