‘I Was Today Years Old’: Man Shares Tesla, Corvette, Cadillac Hack For Getting Out In An Emergency If The Electrical Doors Fail
“These Teslas—my Model Y, plus other Teslas—have all-electronic door openers. There’s no mechanical connection except for the redundancy.”
A Tesla owner shares a safety tip about opening the doors of an electronic vehicle in case of an emergency. Here’s what you need to know.
TikTok user Mark Diesel (@markdiesel34) posted a video with his safety tip three days ago. “Car safety tip of the day, guys,” Just last week, someone in Germany was involved in a Tesla crash. It caught on fire. Very sad situation. He and his two kids were killed in this crash.”
Diesel is referring to a tragic accident that happened in Germany on Sept. 7. A man and his two children were trapped inside their Tesla when it caught on fire after a crash and the electronic doors lost power.
“These Teslas—my Model Y, plus other Teslas—have all-electronic door openers,” Diesel explains. “There’s no mechanical connection except for the redundancy.”
How Do You Open Tesla Doors In An Emergency?
Diesel flips the camera to the door of his Model Y and demonstrates what will happen if the door release button isn’t functioning. The door doesn’t open. “This is how you get out of the car,” he says. “It’s electronic. There is no mechanical connection. There is a redundant release."
He points to a lever tucked in front of the window controls. “This pulls up to release the door,” he says, pulling on the lever.
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Diesel points out that the level almost blends into the door panel. “There’s no way you can know that if you don’t know it,” he says. “And if this fails, this is the mechanical lever. And virtually all cars have that with the electronic openers. If you don’t know about it, there’s no way to get out of the car.”
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Why Do Teslas Need This Redundancy?
It’s important to know about this because more and more vehicles today, particularly EVs, are sold with extremely durable windows that make tragedies like what happened in Germany possible.
“These cars today with this laminate glass—you’re not just hitting that glass with your elbow and hopping out,” he says. “And bystanders trying to break glass to get into cars? Very difficult to do.”
If you’re not a Tesla driver, don’t assume this doesn’t apply to you. “A number of cars have these electronic openers,” Diesel says, referencing the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR. “So it’s not just Tesla.”
Diesel argues even drivers who aren’t planning to purchase an EV anytime soon should pay attention to the PSA. “The car you just rented at the airport last week had an electronic opener,” he says. “If you’re in a situation that you need to get out, you want to be aware of how to open that door if that electronic system fails and you need to get out of the car in a hurry.”
Before ending the video, Diesel says, “Hopefully, none of us ever need this information, but it is something to be aware of.”
Viewers React To The Electronic Door Safety Tip
In the comments section, viewers expressed gratitude for Diesel’s safety tip. One person said, “Wow, thank you. Watching this thinking I’m never going to need this information because I can’t afford any of those cars, but I may need to rent one sometime,” wrote one viewer.
A second person said, “They should show all buyers that when they purchase the car.”
Another person suggested, “Buy an emergency hammer for breaking a side window.”
Tesla is facing a reckoning over its door handle design after complaints about them losing power, getting stuck, and leaving occupants trapped inside. A similar accident that happened in Toronto last year left four people dead. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reportedly investigating.
InsideEVs contacted Diesel via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
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