this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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Fuck Cars

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In case you thought cars would become safer as technology developed... rest assured, Tesla is finding newer and ever-dumber ways to make their cars dangerous to occupants (and others).

TL;DR: If you're in a Tesla and it loses power (like in a fire), the only way to open the doors is often an unlabeled wire behind either two panels or a speaker grill. Tesla owners are DIYing janky rip cords to make that wire easier to pull to escape.

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[–] [email protected] 112 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Why isn't there a mandatory recall being issued? These shouldn't have been sold with such an oversight.

[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It wasn't an oversight, it is a feature because manual door pulls are old fashioned and not as cool.

Electronic windows were an improvement over hand cranked, but the doors could still be opened. Though I do wonder if they have ever been the cause of a loss of life.

I agree that this design should have never passed any safety board. That the ability to open the door can be disabled or made much more difficult.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 week ago (1 children)

To your wondering, read the article, and treat yourself to knowing!

TL;DR: Yes, at least 12 people have been trapped in burning Teslas where they were alive after a wreck but unable to escape.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think they were referring to electric windows, but it is ambiguous in context.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago

Aw lord, you're right. I didn't read that original comment close enough, thought they were talking about the door releases. Thanks for the heads up.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Musk greased the right palms.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

And then he gave them a horse afterwards.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

DOGE went after the people who could recall Elon's death machines first.

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[–] [email protected] 84 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Hiding the emergency release behind a panel should be illegal. These things are death traps.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

That's why they call it a "manual" release, not "emergency". To try and sneak under the radar for doing something so dangerous.

But the worst part is that at peak Tesla popularity, people were blaming the victims for not knowing that it was a small cable, hidden inside the door, under the liner in the door pocket.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

~~people~~ small group of idiots were blaming the victims for not knowing...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I wouldn't even feel safe if I had a close electrician friend strip the batteries for use as a house battery.

[–] anomnom 4 points 1 week ago

I’d mount them outside or in our detached shed.

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[–] [email protected] 79 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Last year 5 people in my town burned alive in a Tesla while talking with 911 operator after a crash. No media reports other than local news.

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/man-and-woman-from-brooklyn-park-amoung-five-killed-in-crash-near-madison-wi-friday/

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 week ago

They crashed near my town!

Our local news also covered it (linked in the article). The local Reddit board definitely noticed how quiet the media was about it.

Because you're right, the 911 dispatch records are public, the dispatcher mentioned that the people inside the vehicle were yelling for assistance. They were alive and awake. They just couldn't figure out how to escape.

God, what a stupid door handle design!

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 week ago

When the article (the original one) said “at least 12 people” had died trapped in Teslas, my first thought was, “At least 12 people are reported to have died, because that number sounds way too low.”

With how much media fuckery by billionaires is going on these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if many more casualties are going un- and under-reported. When rich people control media, they control people’s perception of reality. There’s so much blood on Elon Musk’s hands, it’s sickening.

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Or.....and hear me out.......

Mahbe just don't buy Teslas?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Other fancy cars have similar issues. This is really something that should be dealt with through regulation.

[–] phdepressed 12 points 1 week ago (3 children)

What fancy cars don't have frickin door handles? Does Tesla still count as fancy besides their price point?

[–] ThePantser 13 points 1 week ago

I had a loaner Charger EV it also has electric door handles and the manual release is just as hidden. Dodge copied the worse bits of the Tesla.

https://youtu.be/URJSDbe-Nm4

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Depends... how well do you like your back-seat passengers?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

I take Uber, so I'd appreciate any of my driver's doing this. Please like me!

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A guy at work is thinking of buying a Model Y. We've asked why he'd buy one and he doesn't want to come out and say it's to support Musk. Since he's not even considering other EVs, it's definitely to support Musk.

If he does get one, he'll just make excuses as to why it's a POS.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Lol, buying an electric car to own the libs.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I'll allow it

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago (8 children)

I carry something like this in all my enclosed vehicles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_breaker

I wonder if this would even work in a CT considering the tempered glass?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

In a CT you just send a mean tweet and the glass will break. Or at least something will.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Smart.

It would not work on a CT, unfortunately. A hammer, rock, or tree branch will do in a pinch, or one Good Samaritan managed to do it with his bare hands to rescue a kid from a fire (he went full Rip and Tear mode, and peeled it off the track I guess)

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

From what I have gathered glass breakers don't work on ~~tempered glass~~ laminated glass (which is what newer cars are now using). I read somewhere that fire fighters essentially have to use a sawzall in order to get through a window like that. Pretty much everything I can think of that's almost as compact as a glass break requires power or batteries of some kind which would be yet another thing to remember to charge and maintain.

Not that it would be OK as a commercial product, but I have wondered how small a shape charge could get and still make a good enough opening for egress.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

You read right. Sawzall is not suitable for glass without a special blade, though. It's easier to use a similar tool called a GlassMaster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1FrAQ9SVw

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

AFAIK all you need for tempered glass is a bit of ceramic material (spark plugs are an easy way to get this), at least for the side windows. Windshields are a different type of glass. Mohs scale.

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[–] merde 7 points 1 week ago (4 children)

something like this? a resqme?

we have this and i gifted it to family and friends too

resqme-car-escape-tool-118351

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Tempered glass will break easily with either an impact style glass breaker or the automatic punch type. Most cars use tempered glass for side windows. As a retired medic who has done more than my share of nasty car accidents, I absolutely hate impact glass breakers like you find on "Rescue knives". They almost always send broken glass shards all over my patient and I'm forced to kneel in said glass while working. The auto punch style tends to drop the glass shards more straight down minimizing having glass everywhere.

More Pro Tips from an old firefighter/rescue squad/medic: a $3.50US Harbor Freight auto center punch works as well for breaking glass as those fancy $50US glass breakers and is a worthy addition to your glove box. Toss a pencil and paper in there to take notes if needed also.

Safety glass cannot be broken with a glass breaker because it's a laminated glass with a plastic film holding everything together. It can be sawed with something as simple as a dull reciprocating saw blade though. But you need to get a hole into it first. A fire ax is probably the go to tool for that, but a Halligan tool will also work. (Pro tip: A Halligan tool will solve most issues involving things that block your way.) Some cars do use safety glass for side windows.

Super Important Pro Tip: Always, always try before you pry. No matter how bad an accident scene might look, it's amazing at what still works. Doors open, seat belts release, (in 20 years I never needed to cut a seat belt), and widows roll down, (even electric ones).

Final Pro Tip: Always, always be cautious when approaching a wreak. Stay away from the low side of a wreak and be super extra fearful of a car on it's side. Look under the car before you get close. Look for leaking fluids. Stay up wind of an EV if you see any kind smoke. Those fumes can kill you. Be wary of undetonated air bags. Don't stick your head into the car. About 100 cops are killed every year in the US because they get stupid and stick their heads into that situation.

All in all, the ultimate rule in rescue is "You are there to be a part of the solution to the problem. Don't be stupid and become part of the problem."

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Super Important Pro Tip: Always, always try before you pry. No matter how bad an accident scene might look, it's amazing at what still works. Doors open, seat belts release, (in 20 years I never needed to cut a seat belt), and widows roll down, (even electric ones).

I have a lot of personal experience that confirms this (not necessarily cars, but other mangled things that trap people). It is pretty wild some times at how bad something looks but still functions.

Appreciate all the info!

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago

I think a classic is appropriate at this point.

ROFL

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Here’s the truly maddening part. This isn’t some unsolvable engineering problem. Tons of other manufacturers seemed to have figured this out, and many opt for the same simple solution. In models with electric door handles… Porsche, Audi, Lexus, even the Ford Mustang Mach-E… the solution is elegantly simple: To mechanically open the non-Tesla electronic doors: Just pull the door handle harder.

I wonder if this has to do with patents somehow. I don't get why people would even care about having a car door that requires slightly less force to unlatch to begin with though, if they can't do it safely the obviously better design would be to just have it be a regular car door...

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago

The crazy thing, I think that the other guys are imitating Tesla.

Tesla was an early adopter of electronic latches. They open slightly smoother than a mechanical latch. That smoothness is haptic feedback that became associated with "fancy car" in the buyer's head. The Ford Mach-E and the Audi e-Tron... I think they're just imitating Tesla, only they don't do it in the stupid and dangerous way, because they're not amateurs. They're imitating Tesla while removing the obvious safety flaw in the design.

Of course, you are 100% right. It should just be a regular car door handle, if there is ANY risk of the door not functioning with the silly tiny-added-value electronic feature.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago

voids the warranty in 3-2-1

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I bought my acquaintance with a Tesler the cheapest glass breaking hammer thingy (1 monies including shipping :)).

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Most Tesla front windows are laminated glass like a windshield, not tempered. It helps block out road noise and wind whooshing which is important in an EV since you don't have an engine rumbling to cover up those noises.

The glass breaking hammer may not be as useful as you think.

https://youtu.be/SsbL388Ay3A

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Oh, I know almost nothing about Teslas (lack of interest on my part), but you are right.
(Not sure how many Teslas use it tho.)

It seems you can buy little glass saws if your side windows are laminated.

Rescuers use power saws or these little clippers:

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Make them tape it somewhere accessible in the car. If it's loose in the car, the they will never find it in time after an accident.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

I'll just use it & pre-break all their windows, it's the safest option tbh.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You should install a separate battery system (and have it on an easy to access place for simple battery replacement - on the ceiling, for example). Also slap a battery status display on the dashboard, better keep it separate and not depend on the babby tablet. Now, what will this battery power? The emergency system, of course. I've got two words for you: Explosive bolts. That's right, you pull one of the new tiger-stripe-marked levers above each door, and all of the doors eject violently to the side, allowing you to escape a doomed vehicle in any conceivable circumstance. This is what we in the know call "cyberpunk as fuck".

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Why the fuck not using mechanical ports?

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