Tesla Model Y door locks problems

Filed Oct 21, 2026 · AZ

I am filing this as a critical safety and accessibility complaint regarding repeated lockouts of my 2026 Model Y that trapped my disabled husband inside the vehicle and left both of us in dangerous situations. On October 21, 2026 I was walking to the car with both hands supporting my disabled husband, who requires physical assistance to walk. I pressed the open button on the door handle. The car locked me out because my phone was not connected as the key.I attempted to reconnect the phone key and could not. I then used the key card. The car continued to lock me out and repeatedly activated Sentry Mode. My husband’s wheelchair was locked inside the vehicle, so he had nowhere to sit while I tried to regain access.This created an immediate safety and accessibility hazard for both of us.Shortly after, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued with golf-ball-sized hail. I could not safely get my husband out of the car because I was afraid of being locked out again in the pouring rain and hail. We had to take refuge under a solar panel to wait out the storm.After the storm, I parked at a QT convenience store. The car was in Pet Mode. I took my phone inside the store and placed the key card on the pad, put the car in pet mode, expecting the car to remain accessible. Instead, the car locked me out again with my deaf and disabled husband inside. I had to bang on the window to get his attention. He does not know how to open the door manually. When he eventually managed to open it, the system reacted as if something was wrong because the car was still in Pet Mode.Prior history:My phone has functioned reliably as the key for months with no issues. These failures appeared suddenly and without warning. These lockouts placed my disabled husband in repeated danger, left him without access to his wheelchair, and forced us into unsafe conditions during severe weather.

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Body · CA

On October 18, 2026, at approximately 3:15, I was opening the driver’s door of my 2022 Tesla Model Y, using the exterior door handle in the normal way. My left thumbnail became trapped inside the handle mechanism as it operated. The handle tore the entire thumbnail off at the nail bed, and the nail remained lodged in the handle. I had to pull the detached nail out of the handle myself. I lost consciousness briefly from the pain and blood loss. I went to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente, where the nail bed was cleaned and the detached nail was reinserted and splinted. No stitches were required. The nail will take approximately 6-8 months to regrow. The vehicle was parked and undamaged. The handle did not malfunction in an obvious way; the injury occurred during ordinary operation. I believe the design of the recessed handle allows a fingernail to be caught between the moving handle and the door, and I am reporting this as a safety concern.

Filed Sep 23, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · 9,149 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from under the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was determined that the front lateral link assembly and full body suspension needed to be replaced. While a USB cord was connected to the USB port, the USB cord overheated and almost burned out due to a battery surcharge, and the air was leaking into the front passenger’s side door. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and failed to turn as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the trunk door latch was rusted and the front windshield wipers activated independently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,149.

Filed Aug 30, 2026 · Body · WA

Child entered our vehicle and was UNABLE to exit/open his door (driver's side passenger door) from inside. The child locks were not enabled. The door would also NOT open from the outside. When entering service mode, a VCLEFT_a187latchReleaseFailedR error was present. I looked up on Tesla service how to manual release the door. It states to use a fingernail or flat tool to open the plastic flap in the pocket of the door handle. I was unable to open with a my fingernail and using a small screwdriver took me multiple attempts. It then took me multiple attempts (~5) of pulling the release cable for the latch to unlock. I believe I finally got it to unlock while holding the electronic latch while pulling --this is not mentioned in the service manual (unsure if this step is missing or it just was extremely stuck/luck that it finally unlatched when I did this). Once the latch was released, this error and all history of it was not even logged in the service alerts section. Made a service appointment, however, first available is not for >20 days. I also have a video of us trying to open the door multiple times but I can not upload it here.

Filed Aug 27, 2026 · Electrical · CA

On August 27, 2026, the 12V/low-voltage battery in my Tesla completely failed without any prior low-voltage warning displayed on the screen or sent to the mobile app. After placing my infant/toddler in their car seat in the rear and closing the door, the vehicle's electronic systems shut down entirely. The electronic door handles and key access became completely inoperative from the outside, locking my child inside the vehicle with no way for me to open the doors or retrieve them. The manual override releases are inaccessible to a young child buckled in a car seat, and the vehicle provided zero advance warning that the low-voltage battery was at critical failure. This severe design flaw creates an immediate, life-threatening entrapment hazard.

Filed Aug 16, 2026 · CA

The exterior rear door handle on the driver’s side rear passenger door caught the occupant’s finger during normal use, tearing the fingernail partially out of the nail bed and causing bleeding and an exposed nail bed injury requiring medical treatment. The flush-mounted door handle pinched and trapped the finger while the door was being operated. The component is available for inspection upon request. No warning of any kind preceded the injury — the handle functioned as designed, which is the concern. The injury was treated at an urgent care facility. The problem has not been inspected by the manufacturer, dealer, police, or insurance to date. No warning lamps or messages are applicable. Cause: the flush-mounted rear door handle design creates a pinch point that can trap a finger during ordinary entry

Filed May 9, 2026 · Electrical · AZ

On May 8, 2026 at approximately 1:15 PM in [XXX] , my 2023 Tesla Model Y unexpectedly locked with my [XXX] infant inside during approximately 100°F weather. I briefly exited the vehicle while charging to disconnect the charging cable. My authenticated phone key remained inside the cabin. Immediately after unplugging the charger, the vehicle activated Walk-Away Door Lock and locked all doors despite the phone key remaining inside the vehicle. I was locked out without access to my phone and had to ask a stranger to call 911 and contact my husband. Cabin temperatures rapidly became dangerous for an infant. My husband was eventually able to remotely unlock the vehicle using the Tesla app, narrowly avoiding forced entry by emergency responders. The vehicle failed to detect the phone key inside the cabin and improperly initiated locking while a vulnerable child occupant was present. This created a serious risk of heat injury or death. The vehicle also failed to prevent the lockout despite an infant occupant being seated in the second row, raising concerns about whether rear-seat occupancy detection and child safety protections functioned properly during the event. I am requesting investigation into Tesla’s proximity sensing, phone key detection, walk-away lock behavior, and child occupant safety protections during charging/unplugging events. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 8, 2026 · Body, Electrical · MD

Upon delivery of the vehicle the passenger door would not open from the outside. Multiple vehicle settings were reviewed, and a repair was scheduled to fix the issue.

Filed Mar 24, 2026 · Body · VA

Tesla Model Y Performance with 47,000 miles. Driver's side, rear passanger door would not open. No accident or damage to the car or car door. Door could not be opened from the inside nor the outside with the handle. ISSUE: The Emergency Door release in the pocket of the door failed to release and open the door.

Filed Jan 12, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · IA

I parked my Tesla vehicle in a friend’s driveway. When I returned and opened the driver’s door, I entered the vehicle and attempted to put it into Drive. At that point, the vehicle display went completely blank and the vehicle became inoperable. I then attempted to open the door from inside the vehicle, but the door would not open and I was unable to exit the car. I was effectively locked inside the vehicle. I contacted Tesla customer support and remained on the call for approximately 1.5 hours before receiving assistance. Tesla customer support confirmed that the issue was caused by failure of the 12-volt battery. At the time of the incident, the outside temperature was below 0 degrees centigrade. The incident occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There was no prior warning or notification from the vehicle or the Tesla mobile app indicating that the 12-volt battery was at risk of failure. The failure resulted in loss of vehicle function and inability to exit the vehicle, creating a serious safety concern.