Canada: Four died in burning Tesla after doors reportedly failed to open. 'You couldn't...'

A horrific accident in the Canadian city of Toronto saw four people perish after the Tesla they were riding in crashed into a pillar and burst into flames. A fifth person survived after a bystander heroically smashed the window of the burning car to let the woman out.

The person who helped the woman escape the car said that the Tesla Model Y's electronic doors appeared to have jammed, leading the passengers to get trapped inside the car.

"You couldn't open the doors," Rick Harper told the Toronto Star.

"I would assume the young lady would have tried to open the door from the inside because she was pretty desperate to get out," Harper added. He further said that the smoke was so thick, he didn't realise there were others trapped inside.

"I don't know if that was the battery or what," Harper said. "But she couldn't get out."

A CBC report stated that the accident occurred on October 24 after the driver lost control of the car. The vehicle hit a guardrail before slamming into a pillar and catching fire.

The accident is being investigated, but some reports suggest that the car's doors might be to blame. The model has electronic doors which are used by Tesla and other automakers and require power to open.

Also Read: Tesla recalls 2,400 Cybertrucks due to faulty drive inverter component

Tesla models and manual release levers

Several other Tesla car owners have found themselves locked inside the car in the absence of power. However, most Tesla models come with manual release levers, something not all users might have explored.

Despite the manual provision, Tesla has often been criticised for poorly designed emergency measures and being placed in such areas of certain models a user might not know about. Knowing about them requires a detailed study of the car, and might not be easily and freely accessible in case of an emergency. 

In the case of Tesla Model Y, all vehicles do not come with manual releases for the rear doors. Tesla also warns about this in the car's manual. Whether the Model Y involved in the crash had this emergency feature is not known.

Tesla has found itself at the centre of controversy in the past as well. In 2019, a man was burned alive in his Model S after the car's auto-retracting door handles failed to deploy. The family filed a lawsuit, which stated that the issue prevented bystanders and first responders from saving the man.