In the absence of official statistics, Bloomberg attempted to tally the number of US deaths linked to crashes in which Tesla’s door functionality may have impeded escape or rescue. The analysis identified “at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents over the past decade in which occupants or rescuers were unable to open the doors of a Tesla that had crashed and caught fire.”
In September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into whether door issues in certain Tesla vehicles can prevent emergency access, following a separate Bloomberg report.