Tesla Cybertruck fire and alleged design flaw. . .

[Brian Malone]

This story says a lawsuit has been filed against Tesla on behalf of the family of a man who crashed his CT and was unable to open the electrically operated doors after the electrical system became damaged by the crash, and he perished in the vehicle fire created by the battery in a thermal runaway condition.

Tesla Cybertruck burned so hot in crash, driver’s bones literally disintegrated: suit

Exclusive: “There’s my challenge to Elon,” attorney S. Scott West told The Independent. “Make these vehicles so safe that I don’t have to do this anymore.”

www.independent.co.uk

I am not familiar with the Tesla door releases - I have ridden in Model 3 and a Y with Uber rides but did not pay attention to the door mechanisms. My cars are 2005, 2009, and 2021 models by Toyota, Nissan, and Buick and they all have a mechanical linkage to actuate their door releases ( electrical locks /remotes move the mechanical linkages).

Those of you familiar with the Tesla doors - is the setup a design flaw for emergency exit? Does this lawsuit have merit for a major safety issue or is this a heart-broken family reacting to a tragic loss. Have other auto manufacturers gone to purely electrically actuated door releases?

 

[TugboatEng]

What happens in a crash if the mechanical release inadvertently opens the door or releases the latch?

How long does the kinetic portion of a crash last? A time delay of 5 seconds before releasing doors may cover 99.9% of situations.

In our heavily litigated society it seems like we have to protect from the exceedingly rare before we can protect from the mostly likely causes. It's funny watching a political spectrum fight for exceedingly rare in the name of protecting the people.