Safety Concerns Are Getting Tesla Owners to Buy Emergency Tools

There are plenty of reasons to buy aftermarket accessories for your vehicle. Maybe you’d like a better sound system; perhaps you’re not satisfied with the default mats that came with your car or truck. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re worried about being trapped inside your vehicle during an emergency and you’d like to break free and save your life. Earlier this year, The Verge reported that the government was investigating Tesla over concerns that the automaker’s door handles would shut down in the event of a loss of power.

That isn’t the only governmental investigation involving Teslas; this week, Reuters reported that the NHTSA was also looking into the emergency door release mechanisms on Tesla’s Model 3. It’s a safe bet that no one wants to be trapped inside of a car after an accident; it’s no surprise, then, that some Tesla owners are looking into ways to escape their car in a catastrophic situation.

Writing at The Independent, Graig Graziosi discussed the growing market for third-party safety accessories among Tesla drivers, including devices that can be used to break glass in the event of the car’s locks not working. Graziosi also points to a phenomenon of rideshare drivers indicating where manual lock releases can be found on Teslas, a maneuver that recalls in-flight safety demonstrations more than your usual trip on an Uber or Lyft.

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Some online stores geared towards Tesla drivers are now selling safety tools, including a device that can be used to both cut through a safety belt and break a glass window. The possibility that Tesla’s door handles might be dangerous has led to some heated debates online; this Reddit thread quickly takes a turn for the existential (at least in an automotive design context). As WIRED reported in October, some sort of a redesign is likely on the way for Tesla’s door handles, but how long that will take to implement — and how it will affect older models — remains to be seen.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…