US safety regulators are reviewing a request to investigate the mechanical emergency door release on the 2022 Tesla Model 3, after concerns it may be difficult to find and use in a crisis.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said it received a defect petition on Nov 24, 2025, alleging the mechanical release is hidden, unlabelled and not intuitive to locate during an emergency. ODI has opened the petition to evaluate the claims and decide whether to grant or deny the request.
Barron’s reported the ODI action involved an estimated 179,071 vehicles. The weekly magazine and newspaper by Dow Jones & Company also said Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While a petition review is not a recall, it can be the first step towards a deeper defect investigation, which may later lead to corrective action.
Barron’s noted that such investigations are common across the industry, with Tesla, Ford and Chrysler each facing five new probes in 2025, while Honda had eight.
The publication also pointed to heightened scrutiny of Tesla door systems in recent months, including a separate NHTSA investigation opened in September into certain 2021 Model Y vehicles over reports that doors could fail to open, potentially preventing occupants from getting out or being removed after an incident.
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