Tesla Owners Are Carrying Window Breakers: Here’s Why

Confusion over how to open Tesla doors in an emergency has become an urgent global safety debate.

Despite the high safety ratings of newer Teslas, there have been incidents where electronic doors failed to open during accidents or fires, trapping passengers inside. In some cases, even emergency services struggled to access the retractable door handles from outside.

Tesla has incorporated manual door releases in recent models for both front and rear seats, but many owners remain unaware of their locations. These latches are often hidden, and in the panic following a crash, finding them quickly becomes challenging. Several tragic accidents where occupants could not escape promptly have prompted owners to seek additional precautions.

When the vehicle's power fails, front door escapes are relatively straightforward in models like the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck. A mechanical latch is positioned in front of the window switches, making it accessible if one knows where to look.

However, rear seat passengers face greater difficulty. In 2024 and later Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, they must remove a plastic cover from the door pocket and pull a loop forward. The Cybertruck follows a similar process. Model X requires removing the rear speaker grille to access a pull cord, while the Model S hides the cable behind carpet under the seats.

A window breaker easily shatters side windows to help occupants escape emergencies. AI-generated image.

As a result, numerous Tesla owners now carry glass breakers as an emergency tool, especially for rear passengers. A growing market has emerged in the United States (where Tesla sells in big numbers) for accessories that simplify access to manual releases.

Tesla acknowledges these issues. In September, chief designer Franz von Holzhausen mentioned ongoing efforts to improve door handles, suggesting a combined electric and manual release button as a practical solution.

Electric door handles have been subject to a lot of scrutiny of late. In fact, China, which is home to a lot of electric cars with funky electric handles, has confirmed that it will completely ban such designs. Under the new Chinese rules, all cars will soon be required to have both interior and exterior door handles with mechanical release functions.

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