Children's fingers getting caught in door handles

[mikedc813]

I was in the garage with my 2 year old. I went to tie my shoes and next thing I know I hear crying and look up to see the fingers of one hand stuck in a retracted door handle. I ran over to try and pull the handle open but it wouldn't budge. t rushed to find the key fob to unlock the door and got his hand out. He had a little swelling but ended up being ok. You'd think that there would be some sort of safety mechanism that senses if there is an obstruction when the handles close that would than automatically extend the handles??

 

[Max*]

I ran over to try and pull the handle open but it wouldn't budge.

Huh? It's spring loaded, you should be able to pull it out completely with minimal force.

 

[DrManhattan]

Unfortunate, but the world is full of things that are bad for little ones fingers: drawers, doors closing, and little fingers in elevator doors as they are opening. Glad he's okay.

 

[Todd Burch]

Yep, tiny springs. You could have pulled the hand out without unlocking. Try it yourself.

 

[jcaspar]

Yes. It is a bit pinchy but I can's see how it could cause any damage as the springs are not really strong. Certainly safer than car doors which can close on little hands and have no safety mechanism.

 

[schonelucht]

This is, I am quite certain, the second report of a child's hand coming stuck in the door handles here. Unfortunately I can't find the original thread anymore.

 

[smartypnz]

Sorry to hear of the little one's fingers.
You didn't tell us what Tesla said when you reported this. I'm just assuming they were contacted first.

Yes, there is little a resistance in the springs, but there could be a defect where it wouldn't give. Needs to be reported to Tesla immediately. If there is a problem, early investigation may prevent another mishap.

I suspect first reaction of a 2 year old is to yank the hand away which may cause more injury. An adult in this situation would just pull the handle out and probably not be injured. I've gotten 'closed on' a few times - 1st time was a bit unnerving, but subsequent times meant nothing.

 

[Max*]

This is, I am quite certain, the second report of a child's hand coming stuck in the door handles here. Unfortunately I can't find the original thread anymore.

I remember that thread, assuming we're talking about the same thing, and the kids hands got stuck in the door, not the door handle. The owner freaked, took a step back, and realized they were stuck in the rear door, not the front one, and when he opened it all was well. If he tried to pry open the front door, he likely would've broken his kids fingers (his words, not mine).

 

[brkaus]

Probably would be good to show kids how the door handle works and let them get "stuck" under controlled circumstances.

Perhaps a loop of fabric around the handle so it could be manually extended/retracted with their finger underneath.

 

[AMPd]

I remember that thread, assuming we're talking about the same thing, and the kids hands got stuck in the door, not the door handle. The owner freaked, took a step back, and realized they were stuck in the rear door, not the front one, and when he opened it all was well. If he tried to pry open the front door, he likely would've broken his kids fingers (his words, not mine).

If you're talking about the thread by YOBIGD then wasn't that a completely different incident
His child's fingers were caught in between doors, nothing to do with handles if I remember correctly

 

[Gizmotoy]

Sorry to hear about your little guy.

If you couldn't pull the handle, there's something wrong. I jammed my hand in mine to see if it could hurt our 2 year old if he got his little hand stuck in there. The pressure is pretty minor, and a pull on the handle allows you to overcome the force of the spring. I wouldn't expect the force to be enough to cause any kind of injury, but pulling on it while your hand is stuck in there probably would.

If your vehicle performed otherwise, you should probably have it checked out. Tesla can measure the spring force.

 

[L-P-G]

uuummm... are you sure?

 

[cgiGuy]

I remember the original thread too, where the OP was chastised for showing his indented finger. That then led to people buying pull scales and making posts and videos mocking him.

The bottom line is, there are tension springs in the handle, with adjustments. So there is the possibility of some individual's car to have more tension than others. Even the main "opponent" of the possibility of this hurting someone measured 30%+ difference in tension across 2 different MSs.

If the child somehow slipped his fingers into the gap between the door edge and the plate behind the handle, I could see a situation where pulling the handle would be pulling it into his fingers further.

Not saying these are finger guillotines, but it is possible to pinch/hurt a finger--especially a child's. Agree with poster above.. lots of things can pinch a child's fingers.

 

[brkaus]

uuummm... are you sure?

Agree. This is why it would be worth showing kids how it works.

Yanking ones fingers out perpendicular to the handle pull direction could cause more concern then gently pulling the gandle back out in the normal direction.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

uuummm... are you sure?

There you have it. Prooof of "TISSUE DAMAGE"

 

[HeavyAaron]

My nine year old screamed when she had her fingers pinched. It's real enough.

 

[trils0n]

My nine year old screamed when she had her fingers pinched. It's real enough.

Yeah, it is certainly enough force to startle a child into screaming/crying. The force is so minor I don't think they will actually be hurt, but still not pleasant.

 

[Max*]

That's right, I now remember that thread!