• U.S. safety regulators have opened a probe into 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles.
• The investigation focuses on reports of inoperative electronic door handles.
• Parents complained of being unable to access children after exiting the vehicle.
• No warning for low battery voltage was reported prior to failures.
• Tesla's stock reportedly increased despite the ongoing investigation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into approximately 174,290 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles. This inquiry comes after reports of faulty electronic door handles, which have left parents unable to access their children inside the vehicles, resulting in some cases where parents broke windows to regain entry, according to Reuters, Business Insider, and BBC.

The door handles of these vehicles are designed to flush with the door, but reports indicate they may become inoperative due to low voltage from the vehicle’s battery. The NHTSA has recorded nine incidents where parents were unable to open doors after exiting to secure their children, underscoring potential safety hazards, particularly in emergency situations. Notably, four of these incidents involved vehicle owners breaking windows to gain access, as detailed by CBS News and Al Jazeera.

The NHTSA concluded from its preliminary evaluations that the issue tends to manifest when electronic locks do not receive sufficient power due to low-voltage anomalies. The regulator noted that although Tesla vehicles contain manual releases for the doors, children might not be able to access them, creating a significant risk of entrapment during emergencies, as highlighted by several sources including Los Angeles Times and Business Insider.

This situation follows previous scrutiny faced by Tesla, including investigations into its autopilot system. The latest findings have emerged amidst a backdrop of declining sales for the automaker, with increasingly competitive markets affecting its market share, as noted by Reuters and BBC.