Tesla Faces Lawsuit Alleging Electronic Door Handles Trapped Family in Burning Car
Five trapped and burned alive in Model S crash.
A Wisconsin family has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging that faulty electronic door handles trapped five people—including Jeffrey and Michelle Bauer—inside a burning Model S after a high-speed crash last November. The sedan struck a tree in Dane County, burst into flames, and despite surviving the initial impact, the occupants could not escape as the doors remained locked without power. According to the complaint lodged in state court, a neighbor who dialed 911 reported hearing desperate screams from within the vehicle, while the sheriff’s report noted a cluster of bodies in the front seat, indicating a frantic struggle to break free.
The lawsuit accuses Tesla of negligence, claiming the company knowingly designed vehicles with door systems reliant on electronic power that fails in collisions, combined with lithium-ion batteries prone to rapid, intense fires. Attorneys for the Bauers’ children argue that Tesla disregarded established safety principles requiring vehicles to allow timely escape during post-crash fires. They assert that manual override mechanisms exist but are obscure and ineffective under panic, especially when low-voltage systems are disabled—a foreseeable risk Tesla failed to address despite prior warnings.
This case adds to mounting legal and regulatory pressure on Tesla’s door design. A Bloomberg investigation previously documented multiple incidents where occupants were injured or killed after being unable to exit powerless Teslas. Another ongoing lawsuit involves three college students who perished in a fiery San Francisco-area crash under similar circumstances. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a probe in September into Tesla’s retractable handles after reports of children and adults being trapped inside locked vehicles.
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Tesla has remained silent on the Wisconsin lawsuit and did not respond to requests for comment. The company’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, acknowledged in prior statements that improvements are underway to make emergency exits more intuitive during panic situations. However, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office attributed the crash itself to excessive speed, impaired driving, and poor road conditions—factors the plaintiffs argue do not absolve Tesla of its duty to ensure survivability after impact.
As scrutiny intensifies, the lawsuit underscores a critical tension in electric vehicle design: innovation versus safety. While Tesla prioritizes sleek, handle-free aesthetics and electronic efficiency, critics contend such choices compromise basic egress in life-threatening scenarios. With federal investigations active and more families seeking accountability, the outcome of this case could force significant changes in how EV manufacturers balance form, function, and fundamental passenger protection.
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