How to manually open the rear doors of a 22MS

[pvdoug]

The front doors on the 22MS have obvious manual releases but the rear doors do not appear to offer that option. Am I missing something? Is there a way to open up the rear doors manually? What does Tesla recommend, if anything?

 

[Art VandeIay]

Please don't take this the wrong way -as I'm genuinely curious- but wouldn't it be easier to just type the word: "Doors" in the search box of the Tesla Online Owner's Manual, than to write a whole new forum thread on TMC?

 

[DerbyDave]

Like a departing airplane, I instruct new rear seat riders of how to open the doors in a severe accident when the electricity has been shut off for safety. Otherwise, they will be trapped.

 

[pvdoug]

Thank you for your responses.

 

[Thurro!]

Holy sh*t! I didn’t know that. I’ve never sat in the backseat before, but I assumed (yes, i know, i know) the door release was in the same place as the front doors! I am glad you asked this, Doug! No wonder ppl have made a big stink about this in the news (being trapped in the car). I assumed (yes, again) they couldn’t find the latch on the armrest on the door because they were panicking.

 

[Konicom04]

Wow! .

 

[drunkenbuda]

Now I know!! I just assume it was in the same spot as the front doors.

 

[DerbyDave]

Now I know!! I just assume it was in the same spot as the front doors.

The front doors, at least on my 2020, can be opened from the inside normally without power.

 

[pvdoug]

So I just went to the backseat of my 22MS to check out the efficacy of opening the rear doors in the event of emergency. I first took out the two boxes that I keep on the floor in the back. I then took out the plastic floor mats that are over the carpet. I then raised the bottom carpet. The instructions are: "fold back the edge of the carpet below the rear seats to expose the mechanical release cable". I can tell you that carpet does not come off easily and I was hesitant to force it. Some of my steps may have been unnecessary but that's what I did. I can also tell you this whole process will take some time. And in an emergency there may be more panic than time.

I rarely have people in the backseat but if I ever do and there's an emergency I will simply tell them to climb into the front seat. The next time I go to a Tesla service Center I am going to get their feedback.
Does anyone that has successfully opened the rear doors manually have any opinions on this?

 

[DerbyDave]

On my 2020, Just reach down between your legs when you are sitting in the rear seat. There is a seam where the carpet meets the bottom of the seat. In the middle of your side, there is a slit in the carpet where it meets the seat bottom. Separate the carpet at the split and pull the emergency release toward the center of the car. This is my speech to newcomers.

 

[Art VandeIay]

I can also tell you this whole process will take some time. And in an emergency there may be more panic than time.

Be glad that you don't have a Model X!!!
The Model S back doors become simple normal doors once you get them open...

On the X you have to remove the speaker grill at the bottom of the Falcon Wing Door (FWD) by pulling it towards the 2nd row seat. Just out of curiosity, I tried it on my wife's X and the speaker grill was incredibly tight (which is good so it doesn't rattle). Once you are able to yank the speaker grill out, and inevitably hit the mono-post seat pedestal, (in our case we have a 6 seater X), you have to search for an extremely short and thin metal cable that is hidden behind some plastic trim pieces and is again very hard to pull, in order to release the FWD latch.

With the latch released, you have to develop some superhuman strength to push the FWD out and up, fighting the resistance from the motors that normally power operate the doors.

I usually tell our back seat passengers to first try and jump to the front row seats and use the front doors in case of an emergency, but if that's not possible for whatever reason, they can always perform the nearly impossible procedure mentioned above as a last resource.

 

[E90alex]

Better than the Model 3 with no manual release at all.

 

[Apperception]

“In the unlikely event of a water landing, reach under your seat…”

 

[Art VandeIay]

Better than the Model 3 with no manual release at all.

It's all a matter of perspective...

Better to have a definitive "You don't have a manual release at all in your Model 3 so don't count on it, than to have a Model Y and have a 50/50 chance of maybe having one"...

 

[pvdoug]

On my 2020, Just reach down between your legs when you are sitting in the rear seat. There is a seam where the carpet meets the bottom of the seat. In the middle of your side, there is a slit in the carpet where it meets the seat bottom. Separate the carpet at the split and pull the emergency release toward the center of the car. This is my speech to newcomers.

For some reason I glossed over your earlier post. Today I went to the service center and they showed me exactly what to do; which is exactly what you suggested earlier. Thanks.