How To Open Tesla Doors With No Power In An Emergency
- Tesla vehicles can lose power, leaving their doors partially inoperable.
- This guide explains how to escape safely from any Tesla model or year.
- We’ll also highlight a couple of useful reminders applicable to every car.
Electric door actuators are hardly a new idea. They’ve become a common sight across the auto industry, yet they seem to draw most attention, and the sharpest criticism, when attached to a Tesla.
Over the years, we’ve covered numerous incidents raising safety concerns about these electronically controlled latches, including a few that ended in tragedy. Whether it’s because the car lost power on its own or, worse, being trapped inside after an accident is a terrifying thought indeed.
Also: Model Y Owners Fear Their Kids Could Be Trapped After A Crash
The reality, though, is that in most cases, occupants can free themselves quickly and safely if they know what to do. That said, panic can easily take hold after a scary event, especially when the doors seem locked or there are children in the back seat.
Still, every automaker that uses electronic latches includes a mechanical backup, but many owners aren’t aware of that. So today, we’re spelling it out for everyone to hear: if you or someone you know drives a Tesla, what follows could one day make all the difference.
Model Y | Simple, But Not Always Obvious
The most popular car in the lineup features maybe the simplest and most obvious manual releases. In the front seats, each occupant will find a mechanical handle just ahead of the window switches. In fact, the latest version of the Model Y has a triangle with a door opening to signify its use. Pulling it straight up will manually pop the door open.
More: The Dodge Charger Daytona EV Follows Tesla’s Hidden Manual Door Handle Lead
The rear seat situation is a bit more convoluted – and that’s a theme we shall encounter later, too. Occupants in the rear can find the manual release under another small panel that shows a triangle with a car silhouette featuring an open door. It’s located in the door pocket under the main handle.
Pulling that up reveals a loop under the piece of plastic. Yanking that loop toward the front of the car will manually release the door.
Model 3 | Similar Tricks, Different Years
As the second-most popular car in the fleet, the Model Y has similarly simple manual door releases. Notably, that’s only true of the latest Model 3.
In every Model 3 from the 2024 model year or later, the door releases are the same as the Model Y. There’s a handle ahead of the window switches in the front seats.
In the rear seats, there’s a panel in the door pocket that hides a loop that’ll release the door. Simply remove the small panel and yank the loop forward for the door to open.
In 2023 and older Model Y models, there are no manual releases for the rear doors.
Cybertruck | The Newest Follows Suit
The newest member of Tesla’s lineup follows the same form and function as the Model Y. Again, ahead of the window switches, there’s a flat handle that pulls straight up to release the front doors.
Read: Electric Door Handles Face Global Scrutiny After Deadly EV Crashes
In the rear, there’s a panel in the door pocket that occupants can pull off altogether. Once it’s gone, there’s a loop there for the person to pull toward the front of the car to escape.
Model X | The Odd One Out
The Model X is a unique case in Tesla’s lineup. The latest version (2021+) features the same manual release on the front doors as the rest of the squad. Pull up on the handle ahead of the window switches, and you’re out. The rear seats’ release handles, though, are located in an unlikely position and their operation is not that intuitive.
More: Families Claim Tesla Door Handles Trapped Teens In Burning Cybertruck
The SUV’s falcon-wing doors don’t have a lower pocket, so instead, occupants in the back need to pull the speaker grille off of the door card. Once they do, they’ll find a mechanical release cable near the upper section of the exposed innards. Pulling it down and slightly rearward will open the door.
That’s the same process for the rear door in the older 2015-2020 Model X. Notably, the front doors require zero special instructions.
Tesla designed the original Model X front door handles to open the front doors both electronically and manually. That’s right, just grab the normal handle and pull.
Model S | The Most Complicated Escape
The original Model S sedan (2012-2020) also has front door handles that could work whether the car had power or not. In the 2021+ Model S, the front doors have the same manual release that every other Tesla has, right ahead of the front window switches.
More: Should Governments Mandate Turn Signal Stalks And Intuitive Manual Door Handles?
The rear seats are by far the most convoluted of the entire crew. The manual releases are actually under the seats themselves and behind the carpet that faces the front of the vehicle. Occupants must fold back the edge of the carpet and then pull the manual releases toward the center of the vehicle.
A Final Thought
A final consideration. Regardless of whether your door uses electric or manual latches, an accident could damage the frame in a way that makes it impossible to open. To that end, having a tool to break out the window and perhaps one to cut the seat belt could prove handy.
The Auto World
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