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Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

cnn.com

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Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#41

Post by JumpCrisscross »

chrismeller wrote: post #10

I don't own a Tesla, but I've been a passenger in well north of 100 different ones over the years (Uber/Bolt/etc.) and had no idea there even was a mechanical release. In the event of an emergency I would... not fare well. Years ago (decades now?) I remember James May on Top Gear doing a segment where he was looking for the first mass-produced car that "looked like a car". Of course there have been tons of changes, b…

> I've been a passenger in well north of 100 different ones over the years (Uber/Bolt/etc.) and had no idea there even was a mechanical release

I’d say these are grounds for removing them from the rideshare circulation until a user has completed a brief safety course.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#42

Post by buildsjets »

lawlessone wrote: post #37
mtlynch wrote: post #23

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…

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

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.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#43

Post by nemomarx »

triceratops wrote: post #28
Someone1234 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. Plus the choices were never electrically actuated Vs. standard, plenty of vehicles before Tesla had flush fully mechanical doorhandles that reduced the drag coefficient. Tesla did it to be different, futuristic, and to show off. Then plenty of other electric vehicle manufacturers copied. Even ignoring the safety issues, these things had reliability problems since almost inception and could be frozen shut in t…

> now putting the shifter in the ceiling They what?! And people are still buying these things? This is the most valuable automaker in the world?

their profits are pretty normal, the stock is clearly more stock in musk himself than in the car company

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#44

Post by [deleted] »

bangaladore wrote: post #34
fullshark wrote: post #26

Ever since reading this story I decided I wasn't buying a Tesla: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68622898 Just so stupid, how many unnecessary deaths in Teslas have there been because of the overengineered crap door handles? Really tragic and pointless.

She was highly intoxicated and driving under the influence, reversed the car into a pond and died because of it. Whether or not the doors contributed to her death is a guess at best. When a car is submerged, you aren't able to open a door generally due to the weight of the water pushing in on the car. That car has a completely standard gear stalk as well, so blaming it on that make no sense. I don't have sympathy for…

[deleted]

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#45

Post by vkou »

rightbyte wrote: post #35
mtlynch wrote: post #23

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…

> 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.

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.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#47

Post by jp191919 »

mtlynch wrote: post #23

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…

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.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#48

Post by cfeduke »

I bought a Model 3 in 2018, a Y in 2020, and another 3 in 2024. The end user design has only continued to get worse on various aspects of the car. Regarding non-safety issues, living in the northeast and mid-Atlantic, the door handles freeze shut during the winter and become impossible to open from outside of the car.

But why continue to buy these poor end-user design experiences, you think? My car maintenance costs since 2018 has been a gallon of windshield wiper fluid and new tires. So I deal with poor design decisions.

But the cup holders in the latest Model 3 may be my breaking point.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#49

Post by dylan604 »

pengaru wrote: post #7

Electric retractable door handles is such a stupid gimmick. I once pulled over to help a stranded Model S driver with a flat tire in the Mojave desert. Every door handle had a zip tie hanging off it because they _all_ had failed present mechanisms. Junk

I'm old and still somewhat feel electric windows is such a gimmick. For that inevitable day when I run my car off the bridge and into some body of water, I'll be able to get out of my car when I manually roll down my window. Electric windows are a death trap!

At some point, convenience routs safety, and the consumers have spoken

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#50

Post by jp191919 »

cfeduke wrote: post #48

I bought a Model 3 in 2018, a Y in 2020, and another 3 in 2024. The end user design has only continued to get worse on various aspects of the car. Regarding non-safety issues, living in the northeast and mid-Atlantic, the door handles freeze shut during the winter and become impossible to open from outside of the car. But why continue to buy these poor end-user design experiences, you think? My car maintenance costs…

You can use the app to open the door if the handle is frozen. Still not a great design, might as well have a button instead.
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