In the U.S., a bereaved family has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, claiming that after a crash involving a Tesla, a fire broke out and the occupants, unable to open the doors, were trapped and died.

According to Bloomberg News and Reuters on the 3rd (local time), the children of Jeffrey and Michelle Bauer, who died in a Tesla crash last year, recently filed a damages lawsuit against Tesla. They argue that a structural defect in Tesla vehicles that prevents the doors from opening was the direct cause of the deaths of their parents.

According to the complaint, on November 1 last year, the Tesla Model S carrying the Bauers left a road on the outskirts of Madison, Wisconsin, and struck a tree. The car then caught fire, and all five occupants, including the Bauers, were unable to get out and died as flames engulfed the vehicle.

An attorney for the family argued that “the design of Tesla created a highly foreseeable risk that an occupant who survived a crash could remain trapped inside a burning vehicle”. They pointed out that Tesla was aware of the risk that electric-vehicle lithium-ion battery packs can ignite after a collision and that the door design was implemented in a dangerous manner, yet did not make sufficient efforts to resolve these issues.

Windows and doors in Tesla vehicles operate on a low-voltage battery, and if the battery is damaged in a collision, a manual device must be used to open the doors. However, many occupants do not know or cannot find the location of the interior release, Bloomberg reported.

A similar lawsuit alleging a defect in Tesla door mechanisms is also underway. In a Tesla Cybertruck crash and fire that occurred in the suburbs of San Francisco last November, the families sued Tesla, claiming that three college students died because the doors would not open.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary evaluation in September after receiving multiple reports that doors would not open on 2021 Model Y vehicles. In some cases reported to the agency, owners said they had to break a window to get a child out. Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen earlier said in an interview with Bloomberg that “a redesign is underway so that passengers in a panic can use the door handle more intuitively”.