‘My Friend Has a Cybertruck And It’s So Confusing’: Woman’s Friend Picks Her Up. Then She Gets To the Door Handle
'Why can't they just have a normal handle?'
A woman recorded herself struggling open the door of her friend’s Tesla. Savannah (@savannahchild) posted the clip to social media in a video that’s accrued more than 1.7 million views on the popular social media platform. Several folks who replied to her clip seem to have the same problem.
Savannah’s video begins with her attempting to open the door of a Tesla with flush handles. A text overlay in the clip reads: “When your friend drives a Tesla but you’re poor.” Her friend can be seen sitting in her car as Savannah laughs, saying, “I don’t know how to open this.”
She briefly presses against the door handle, prompting a smile from her pal who tries to instruct her on how to open the vehicle. Savannah, off camera laughs again and remarks, “I’m poor I don’t know how to open that,” as she enters the vehicle.
Upon doing so, she is taken aback by a virtual image of the car on its infotainment screen. While the exterior paint job of the actual car is a dark grey, the vehicle is displayed as having a metallic pink hue on the car’s large display. “Why is it pink on there?” Savannah asks. Following this, the video then transitions to to her having difficulty exiting the car as well. “How do I open this? Push this button?” she asks.
As she makes this comment, she records her finger pressing a button on the car’s door handle to exit the vehicle. “Oh my gosh,” she says, as her clip comes to a close.
'Why can't they just have a normal handle?'
It seems like Savannah wasn’t the only person who had a tough time getting in and out of Teslas. There was one TikTok user who asked, “Why can’t they just have a normal handle?”
And someone else also stated that they had troubles with the handle on their pal’s Tesla as well. “My friend has a Cybertuck and it’s so confusing,” they replied.
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Whereas another relayed how they were left twiddling their thumbs after a ride-share driver came to pick them up in an EV from the automaker. “We had an Uber driver that picked us up in a Tesla once. And my husband and I just stood outside the door…because we had no idea how to open it. Poor guy had to get out of the car to come open the door for us,” they said.
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This woman also stated she had problems opening car doors for kids whose parents come to pick them up in a Tesla. “Me at parent pick up I usually open the doors for the kids and I don’t even attempt with the Teslas hahahah I truly don’t know,” she penned.
But one person said that due to the extensive amount of time they spent engaging with display Teslas, they are well versed in the art of opening and closing the EVs. “Only reason I know how to open Teslas is cause my mom brother and I would go to the mall and sit in the Teslas and play music and stuff and would test out every car they had on display then would just walk out,” they wrote.
Tesla Door Handle Controversy
While the flush door handles on Tesla vehicles provide a distinct aesthetic, they have been a steady topic of criticism. One YouTuber asked “How is this legal?” of the design, highlighting not only ease of use issues, but safety concerns in his video.
His derision of the brand’s door handles are apparently shared by others, as well. German auto regulatory officials have also said that the manufacturer’s design may be hazardous to commuters. The report cites incidents where emergency personnel had a difficult time opening car doors following accidents.
Furthermore, a wrongful death lawsuit involving a Tesla Model S made headlines in 2019 which made reference to the vehicle’s flush, motorized retractable handles. A police officer had difficulty opening the door of the car, which had caught fire. The legal claim alleges that the extended time it took for the officer to rescue the man from the burning vehicle ultimately contributed to his death.
InsideEVs reported on another lawsuit involving 2014 to 2016 Model S door handles. The story references a 2015 Model S P85D driver who had several retractable handles fail, necessitating a $300 fix per handle. Tesla responded to the suit, arguing that Tesla’s warranty covers “manufacturing defects…not design defects.” Furthermore, the EV maker said the plaintiff in the suit didn’t prove that the door handles pose a safety risk.
Manual Override Procedures
Many electric vehicles feature automatic door opening mechanisms. However, if these parts fail, there are manual fail safes that folks can utilize in order to get in and out of their cars. InsideEVs has published a guide on how to do this in several different electronic door mechanisms.
But again, in an emergency situation, time is of the essence, especially if you’re involved in a collision with a car carrying a massive lithium-ion battery pack. And there have been documented cases where Teslas have had doors become stuck, like this YouTuber who recorded a “ridiculous fail” on a Model Y. In the clip, one of the rear doors gets stuck, despite the reviewer’s attempts at opening the car.
With that being said, there have been instances where the retractable doors on a Tesla actually helped security. Like this video of a road rager who ran up to one of the EVs in an attempt to pull on the door handle. However, their anger was quickly deflated after grabbing at the flush car door. Confusion visibly permeates their whole being as they amble off and the clip comes to a close.
InsideEVs has reached out to Savannah via email for further comment.
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