NO mechanical handle for rear doors. Seriously?

[Cyclone]

Just imagine those BMW i3 rear doors. You can't even open the rear without also opening the front!

 

[N5329K]

Just imagine those BMW i3 rear doors. You can't even open the rear without also opening the front!

An example of what happens when you allow a design flaw to masquerade as a feature.
Robin

 

[JPP]

What don't I understand??? All Teslas produced now (S, X, 3) use electromechanical door latches. In the front doors of the S & X, the lever to open the doors trips the electrical switch to unlatch the door. If this does not work, pull harder and the mechanical release works. In the 3, you have a door unlatch button (electrical) in the front. If this fails, there is a pull-up lever to release it mechanically.

Now turning to the rear, in the S the inside handle is an electrical switch system only. if you need a mechanical release, there is a cable under the front of the rear seat cushion. In the X, with FWD, door opening is with a switch. In case of emergency, there is a cable release behind the speaker grille on each door. In the 3, the rear doors have a similar button to the front doors--electrical only. Noone yet knows where the emergency cable release is.

So all of these vehicles do not have an easily accessible emergency inside release for the rear doors. All 3 cars have presumably passed DOT/Federal Standards. Where is the panic?

Oh, and BTW, in all of these vehicles, if there is a power or electrical issue, you won't be able to open the doors from the outside with the handles. Thus, the instructions for first responders to reach into the vehicle to open the doors from the inside.

 

[gambit48]

If there is an emergency cable for the 3, then there's no problem. The info so far just makes it seem like there is NOT a mechanical emergency release, unlike the S/X.

 

[a.void]

There's also the relatively minor damage to the rear where the door is crinkled a bit so that the electric opening gets stuck, but a really hard tug manually could open it.

Either way, I'm not thrilled with the idea of putting a glass breaker in every seat pocket. The kids might play with it (not that much of a worry cuz mine actually listen, but I've seen plenty of brats around here that wouldn't), but more worrisome is that they could become dangerous projectiles in an accident. If they were forced to do a recall down the line to fix something like this, that would be way more costly and time consuming.

Something tells me those kids would also have rear child door locks engaged and couldn't get out of a typical car.

This is a ridiculous issue with plenty of counterpoints that people aren't taking into consideration.

 

[gregincal]

In the 3, the rear doors have a similar button to the front doors--electrical only. Noone yet knows where the emergency cable release is.

The first responders manual clearly says that unlike the S and the X, there is no emergency cable release in the back.

 

[run-the-joules]

If you're that concerned, vote with your wallet and don't buy the car.

 

[gregincal]

For me it's a bit bothersome, but I'm not sure much more so than the hidden releases in the S. I'm sure it would be faster for my son to climb between the front seats than find and figure out how to operate the S release cables.

 

[jhs_7645]

I love the car but I am not comfortable with NO manual door release in the back seat. TESLA should immediately begin producing rear car doors with a manual release for the cars coming off the production line, and also putting out a RECALL on all existing Model 3's to get their rear doors replaced. Can't wrap my mind around how the car's safety got approved by the DOT?????

I understand that you don't like it, but I don't understand the position that what Tesla has done is so egregious and that Tesla recall cars, etc...

• What about all the cars out there with rear door child locks on all the time?
• What about all the cars out there that require two pulls on the handle for the door to open when a car is locked. Surely people realize that that is electronically controlled as well right?

 

[DR61]

I understand the concern about the rear door release, however I consider the chances to be vanishingly small of ever being in a situation where both 12V system is disabled and a serious accident occurring. It is not possible to eliminate 100% of risk in a moving vehicle. There is a good chance that an electrical door release is safer than a mechanical release in the more probable accident scenarios.

 

[eloder]

since the glove compartment is opened by the touchscreen (and may not work in an accident) I hope there is a convenient place in the back seat to put one of those.

A lot of cars have lockable gloveboxes. Your key could be lost or damaged in an accident. What would you do then?

 

[FlyingKiwi]

A lot of cars have lockable gloveboxes. Your key could be lost or damaged in an accident. What would you do then?

How many people actually lock their glovebox though? I know in 20ish years of driving I've never once locked a glovebox. I figure if they've already broken into the car they won't hesitate to destroy the glovebox to get into it so why risk more damage, particularly when there is nothing of any real value in there anyway.

 

[dhanson865]

A lot of cars have lockable gloveboxes. Your key could be lost or damaged in an accident. What would you do then?

I don't lock my glove box. I lock the car doors if I lock anything at all (with the old manual locks I left the car unlocked all the time, with the keyless entry of the Prius and Leaf I lock as it's easy to do/undo without reaching for a key).

I haven't even tried to lock the glove box even as a test on any car I've owned in the last 10 years, maybe longer.

You could argue the glove box is in the crumple zone and maybe would lose integrity such that you couldn't open it. Maybe the window breaking tool is inside a brick of metal that got squashed. But it'd be a rare case where that happened and the windows were still intact I'd say.

 

[gambit48]

I understand that you don't like it, but I don't understand the position that what Tesla has done is so egregious and that Tesla recall cars, etc...

• What about all the cars out there with rear door child locks on all the time?
• What about all the cars out there that require two pulls on the handle for the door to open when a car is locked. Surely people realize that that is electronically controlled as well right?

With the child locks, you can open it from the outside. Still mechanical.

What car requires two pulls to open when locked? Is that from the inside or outside? On my old BMW, it required that on the inside. But that was mechanical. One pull unlocked. You could feel it. Second pull opened it. Still, could open it from outside.

 

[voip-ninja]

With the child locks, you can open it from the outside. Still mechanical.

What car requires two pulls to open when locked? Is that from the inside or outside? On my old BMW, it required that on the inside. But that was mechanical. One pull unlocked. You could feel it. Second pull opened it. Still, could open it from outside.

I'm pretty sure that the BMW system is electronic now. There was a story recently of someone managing to lock themselves in their BMW and not be able to get out.

 

[PJFW8]

With the child locks, you can open it from the outside. Still mechanical.

What car requires two pulls to open when locked? Is that from the inside or outside? On my old BMW, it required that on the inside. But that was mechanical. One pull unlocked. You could feel it. Second pull opened it. Still, could open it from outside.

Two pulls to open rear doors from inside in 2016 Ford Fusion Energi.

 

[sub]

Amazed at the things people worry about, I think they have Medication for this.

My memory is fuzzy but I do believe there is a mechanical release inside the grab handle on the rear model 3 interior door. Watch the OCDetailing 1st video on YouTube, I think he discusses it there.

Don't shoot the messenger if I misremembered, I have better things to do with my time than to assume I can out think Tesla engineers.

 

[sub]

Quickly scanned both videos, those releases are in the front but it doesn't show that they are not also in the back. Sure hope I can sleep tonight.

 

[Topher]

No one is complaining about lack of mechanical openers for the windows. It seems to me that this is the exact same issue.

Thank you kindly.

 

[WhiskySTL]

The most likely real world scenario in which a mechanical release is needed is when the vehicle is flooded or submerged and the occupant(s) need to escape. In those cases the electronics are fried and the occupant needs to manually open the door, quickly, and get out of the vehicle. Breaking windows is also an option but breaking auto glass is harder than most people think, especially if they don't have a glass breaker in the vehicle.

There is also fire.

My seven-year-old can open a car door, but she definitely couldn't break a car window to escape, even if a glass breaker were there. Nor could many elderly people.

I don't understand this decision and as a parent do find it troubling. :-/

Yes, there is the 2-door coupe argument, but those vehicles are inherently less safe in certain situations precisely because they only have 2 doors for 4-5 passengers... I don't know why Tesla, which prides itself on safety, would negate the increased safety of the 4-door vehicle.

I agree with the comment that this appears to be a cost-cutting measure.