Model Y Owners Worry Their Children Might Get Stuck After an Accident | Carscoops

      Owners are devising their own methods to access the manual door releases for the second-row seats.

      Tesla provides two separate designs for manual rear door releases in the Model Y.

      It appears that some of these vehicles do not have a manual rear door release at all.

      In response, owners are adding ropes to the rear door cables for quick access in emergencies.

      Concerns regarding Tesla’s electronic door handles have grown following several recent fatalities connected to instances where occupants were unable to escape after a crash or fire. These events have not only put Tesla under scrutiny from safety regulators but have also initiated larger discussions within the automotive sector regarding safety design and emergency exit accessibility.

      As a result, many owners are contemplating ways to prepare their vehicles for any unforeseen emergencies.

      Last week, a Reddit user ignited discussions by inquiring about how to rescue children from the back of a Model Y in the event of an accident and fire.

      “I have a Juniper and with a baby on the way, it got me thinking,” wrote a Reddit user.

      “If you’re in an accident, the high voltage battery ignites, smoke fills the interior, and the 12v battery fails. You use the manual release on the driver’s door to exit, but how do you get your child/baby out of the backseat/child seat on the passenger side? The other three doors are locked, and you can’t reach the manual release on that door from the driver’s seat,” they continued.

      Credit goes to Tesla for including a simple manual release for the front doors of the Model Y, which is located just in front of the window controls. This allows front-seat occupants to exit quickly, even if the electronic system malfunctions. The same cannot be said for those seated in the back.

      Hidden Escape Points

      For some reason, the manual release for the rear doors on the 2020-2024 Model Y is significantly harder to reach. To activate it, occupants must first take out the rubber mat at the bottom of the door pocket, press a red tab to remove a plastic access door, and then pull the mechanical release cable forward. For a child, especially in a stressful situation, accessing this release will be quite difficult.

      Tesla has redesigned the rear door’s manual release for the Model Y Juniper, but a plastic cover still needs to be taken off to reach the release cable.

      DIY Safety Modifications

      Inspired by the Reddit discussion, some Model Y owners have taken initiative. A few have attached small straps to the rear release cable to make it more visible and easier to pull, while others suggest affixing a rope that leads to the front of the cabin, allowing the driver to quickly open the rear doors in an emergency.

      However, these makeshift solutions do not assist everyone. Tesla’s owner’s manual for the 2020-2024 Model Y notes that “not all Model Y vehicles are equipped with a manual release for the rear doors.”

      Consequently, if the rear doors cannot be opened from either the inside or the outside following a crash or fire, the only option for freeing passengers in the back would be to pull them out from the front seats or to break the rear windows.