Tesla Model Y Fire Kills 4: Could Electronic Door Design Have Played a Deadly Role?

Tesla vehicle caught fire after crash
4 passengers lost their lives
What is the absurd reason why they couldn’t escape?

Concerns over the safety of electric vehicles have grown following several high-profile fires, with Tesla vehicles facing increased scrutiny. In South Korea, instances have been reported where Tesla cars caught fire spontaneously or after a collision, a phenomenon also seen in other electric vehicles. However, Tesla’s design has drawn particular attention due to its difficulty opening doors during emergencies.

While it is technically possible to open the doors manually, the process is complicated. This complexity can be fatal in urgent situations where every second counts. A recent tragic incident, in which four passengers died after being unable to escape from a Tesla vehicle that caught fire, has intensified criticism of Tesla’s vehicle design. Many argue that this design flaw puts lives at risk, prompting widespread concern over the safety of Tesla’s electric vehicles.

One passenger narrowly survived
Citizen broke the glass and rescued the passenger

A tragic accident on October 24, 2023, in Toronto, Canada, has raised serious concerns about the safety of Tesla vehicles. A 2024 Tesla Model Y caught fire after a high-speed crash into a guardrail, killing four of the five occupants. Police reported that the car lost control, crashed, and was immediately engulfed in flames. When firefighters arrived, the car was fully ablaze.

The cause of the fatalities was linked to the failure of the vehicle’s electronic door release system, which left the occupants unable to escape. One passenger survived, thanks to a passerby who used a metal bar to break the window and rescue them. The citizen who helped in the rescue explained, “The front of the car was badly damaged and burned, but the fire did not spread to the back of the car.” The inside of the vehicle was filled with smoke, and other bystanders were seen knocking on the windows to check for survivors. This incident has brought further attention to the potential risks Tesla’s electronic systems pose in emergencies.

Battery Fire Potential Weighs
Similar Cases in South Korea Revisited

A tragic accident occurred in Toronto on October 24, 2023, when a Tesla Model Y caught fire after crashing into a guardrail. The fire, which spread rapidly, trapped the vehicle’s occupants, resulting in the deaths of four people. The sole survivor, a 25-year-old woman, was rescued and taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The victims, all in their 20s and 30s, were unable to escape, adding to the heartbreak of the incident. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, with a focus on the possibility of a battery-related ignition.

In a similar incident in South Korea on October 10, a Tesla Model Y crashed into a road barrier in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. The crash caused a fire that was quickly extinguished by local fire crews. However, the body of the driver, a man in his 30s, was recovered from the vehicle. Authorities are examining the possibility that the driver’s body was found in the backseat, which could suggest that he attempted to escape but was unable to do so in time.

Escape difficulties linked to design flaws
Rear doors are particularly complex to open manually

Experts have identified design flaws as contributing to the recurrence of these types of accidents in Tesla vehicles. In models like the Tesla Model Y, the doors operate by pulling a handle that unlocks the electric actuator. While it is possible to open the door manually if the power is cut, the process is far from straightforward. The manual release lever for the front doors is located near the window controls. Still, it’s not immediately obvious, making it difficult to access in an emergency if you’re unfamiliar with its location.

The rear doors present an even greater challenge. Unlike the front doors, the Model Y and Model 3 do not feature a manual lever for easy access. Instead, manually open the rear doors, remove the rubber pad in the storage space, remove a plastic cover, and pull a cable to unlock the door. This cumbersome process has led to the sale of aftermarket handles that connect directly to the cable, enabling a quicker and simpler way to open the rear doors without going through the complicated steps.