Tesla models Y and 3 are displayed at a Tesla showroom in Corte Madera, California, on Dec. 20, 2024.
Tesla has been ordered to provide records to U.S. federal auto safety regulators to comply with a sweeping investigation into possible safety defects with the company's flush-mounted, retractable door handles that can lead to people getting trapped.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a letter to Elon Musk's automaker that the agency continued to receive complaints from Tesla owners after the regulators initiated a probe in September.
Owners said they were unable to enter or exit their cars due to battery power loss and other situations impeding normal use of the doorhandles.
In some cases, owners' children were trapped inside hot vehicles, requiring first responder interventions or breaking windows to open the doors.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigations said they had "received 16 reports of exterior door handles becoming inoperative due to low 12VDC battery voltage in certain MY 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles," as of October 27, 2025.