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twitch1982 t1_ixrfqhx wrote

Reply to comment by DanielCragon in China regulator says Tesla recalls more than 80,000 cars by MrsSynchronie

There may be another, but theyre flush with the door until a servo pushes them out. If the battery has failed, such as in a battery fire, they dont pop out, and responders can't get you out of the car.

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noncongruent t1_ixrk3x9 wrote

This is a huge problem with regular door handles as well, when the door is locked and emergency responders don't have a key to unlock the door, the door handles are mechanically disconnected from the door latch assembly and trying to operate the door handle to open a door doesn't work.

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Range-Shoddy t1_ixro0th wrote

With regular door handles the inside still works.

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noncongruent t1_ixrp0by wrote

The statement was that with Tesla's door handles emergency responders can't open the doors from the outside, and the way NHTSA rules work, all car doors regardless of design can't be opened from the outside if they're locked. First responders are already trained how to deal with this common situation, which is to break the glass, and if necessary, use powered tools to pry or cut open doors. In other words, Tesla door handles do not present any additional difficulty to first responders than any other kind of car, and in fact, Tesla isn't the only company to use flush door handles:

https://motorandwheels.com/cars-without-door-handles/

Edit: And by law all Teslas have manual internal door releases that do not require battery power to operate.

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Range-Shoddy t1_ixrtzz5 wrote

True I read it wrong. And yes they have a release but I bet almost no one in a Tesla can find the things. They aren’t even in the same place across models.

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razrielle t1_ixs6quz wrote

When I rode in my friends Tesla that's what I used to open the door instead of the button until he told me that was the emergency release.

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noncongruent t1_ixt1ng8 wrote

Yep, Model 3. Release is right where the door handle would be, my friend keeps telling me to push the button instead.

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