Door crushed on my 3yo daughter's hand, door handle failure to release lock, STUCK

[Fezzik]

Sorry to hear this. Question. When you used the teddy bear as the example did it not open again for you. I'd like to recreate this with my car minus the child of course. I've always been paranoid with any of my cars and my kids appendages when closing the doors. Bad childhood experience. I was 3 and somehow my foot got caught on those van doors that slide( think a team van those heavy doors). It closed and crushed my left foot. Luckily doctors said I was young and everything healed right and have feeling. I'm weekest on that foot though

 

[yobigd20]

Sorry to hear this. Question. When you used the teddy bear as the example did it not open again for you.

It's finicky. Sometimes it gets stuck and sometimes it doesn't. Doesn't seem to be consistent in any way. Yes I can recreate it, but it takes a few tries.

 

[walla2]

FYI my daughters hand is fine this morning.

I'll probably report the issue to the NHSTA. While this incident was minor, stuck doors can be very dangerous if the situation had been different. When it comes down to it, it really is a safety issue.

I'm glad her hand is better. You should rethink the whole thing though. If your daughter's hand was trapped in the back door, opening the front would crush her hand even more since her hand is blocking it. You pulling on the door may have crushed her hand more. It may not have been opening due to her hand blocking it and have nothing to do with an e release.

In the heat of the moment, you just want to help but sometimes that first reaction can make things worse. I have a similar story about an elevator door. Pushing open when you need to push close.

 

[Khatsalano]

Thank you for the write-up. I'm sorry this happened to your daughter and to you. By sharing this, I'm going to try this on a stuffed animal right now so I can understand how to prevent this in the future. You just did the community a huge favor by sharing your experience.

Please also write Tesla and make them aware of this issue.

- K

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Hmmm ... I just tried this in both my Tesla and my Prius. You can definitely do this by accident in a non-Tesla car as well unfortunately. I was able to have the same result using my stuffed animal in the Prius door. Seems like just a general safety-around-car-doors problem. I sincerely wish your daughter swift healing.

- K

 

[yobigd20]

Hmmm ... I just tried this in both my Tesla and my Prius. You can definitely do this by accident in a non-Tesla car as well unfortunately. I was able to have the same result using my stuffed animal in the Prius door. Seems like just a general safety-around-car-doors

Yes but I bet your prius' front door opened when you pulled on the handle to get the hand out of there...

 

[dsm363]

Glad to hear she is ok. I might have missed it in the first post but how did you get her hand out? You mention going through the driver's door to unlatch from the inside works but wasn't sure if that's what you ended up doing.

 

[yobigd20]

Glad to hear she is ok. I might have missed it in the first post but how did you get her hand out? You mention going through the driver's door to unlatch from the inside works but wasn't sure if that's what you ended up doing.

Tapatalk wasn't showing one of the paragraphs even thought a normal web browser was:

"I race to the rear door handle and yank it. Door opens and my daughter's hand is released. I glance at her hand and there is a huge indentation/crease across both sides of her hand and then her hand and fingers start turning blue. We race her inside and immediately sandwich two bags of frozen vegetables on her hand and then start monitoring her reactions and responses for a few seconds to gauge the damage and pain that she is in. She is all shaken up and crying hysterically as I quickly gather my thoughts on how to get to the nearest hospital. Part of these racing thoughts are that I just moved into this house a month ago in new town in a new state and I have no idea where a hospital even is."

 

[Khatsalano]

Yes but I bet your prius' front door opened when you pulled on the handle to get the hand out of there...

Yes, you're right about that. I really hope Tesla finds a way to patch your generation of door handle.

- K

 

[kanylbullen]

Yes, you're right about that. I really hope Tesla finds a way to patch your generation of door handle.

- K

I think it works as intended. If the electronic door handle won't open the door due to the resistance from something or someone being stuck, you should use the mechanical handle on the inside.

 

[rocketdallas]

Thank goodness your daughter's hand is ok. I think all of us parents have had some terrifying moments like that and when our kids are screaming in real pain, it cuts right through to you. Again, glad she is okay.

 

[yobigd20]

I think it works as intended. If the electronic door handle won't open the door due to the resistance from something or someone being stuck, you should use the mechanical handle on the inside.

No way. An unlocked door handle should open when you pull on it.

 

[Max*]

I would've likely ended up using the crowbar if I was in your place.

 

[yobigd20]

I would've likely ended up using the crowbar if I was in your place.

I was about to right when I realized opening the back door would release her hand.

Also I have no idea why I carry a crowbar in my trunk haha I have no use for it. I think I was just transporting tools one day and left it there and it's been there for years as I haven't had the use for it in any recent projects.

 

[bluetinc]

YobigD,

Perhaps you should request that Tesla change out your gen 1 handles to the current version. Mine were replaced and the new ones will let you open a partially latched door without issue. From the quite and calm of my keyboard, would going into the other side of the car to open the door mechanically from the inside worked?

Peter

I was about to right when I realized opening the back door would release her hand.

Also I have no idea why I carry a crowbar in my trunk haha I have no use for it. I think I was just transporting tools one day and left it there and it's been there for years as I haven't had the use for it in any recent projects.

 

[yobigd20]

Door crushed on my 3yo daughter's hand, door handle failure to release lock, ...

Perhaps you should request that Tesla change out your gen 1 handles to the current version.

I'm out of warranty so they would charge me for it. TSB's are only applied during warranty period (found that out the hard way when I wanted to get my defective windshield replaced @51k miles).

From the quite and calm of my keyboard, would going into the other side of the car to open the door mechanically from the inside worked?

yes I mentioned this above but during the adrenaline pumped moment I had not considered it.

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fyi I just emailed ownership @ with a link to the details of the incident here and got this response immediately:

Hello,

You have reached an address that is no longer monitored.
If you have taken delivery of your vehicle, please email [email protected].
If you have questions regarding your reservation or existing order, contact [email protected].



So I just reforwarded to ServiceHelpNA@.. had no idea ownership@ was shut down.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I'm glad the munchkin is ok

This seems to be a fairly common injury among all types of cars.

 

[walla2]

I was about to right when I realized opening the back door would release her hand.

Again, trying to pry open the front door would've taken her fingers off. You would be prying the front door through her hand to get it to open.

 

[jcaspar]

Sorry to hear that. You must feel terrible to have done that to your daughter. Glad she is going to be fine.

 

[Andyw2100]

Again, trying to pry open the front door would've...

Did you really need to be that graphic concerning the OP's three-year old? I didn't quote everything you wrote on the off-chance that the OP hasn't read it yet, and that you'll choose to edit it and choose a less graphic way of making the same point.

 

[yobigd20]

Door crushed on my 3yo daughter's hand, door handle failure to release lock, ...

I didn't quote everything you wrote on the off-chance that the OP hasn't read it yet, and that you'll choose to edit it and choose a less graphic way of making the same point.

Too late

And for what it's worth I don't see how her fingers would have been hurt further by opening the front. Perhaps he's imagining it differently.