Tesla is being sued by the family of a teenager killed in a Cybertruck crash after its doors failed to open

Tesla’s Cybertrucks might be the most polarizing vehicle on the market. And due to their electronic door-open mechanism, they’re far from the safest. 

A new lawsuit underscores this, alleging that 19-year-old college student Krysta Tsukahara died during a fiery crash because the truck’s electric doors shut down, preventing the door from opening on either side, as the New York Times first reported.

Tsukahara’s family is suing Tesla in Alameda County Superior Court. 

In Cybertrucks, a passenger has to click a button for the door to open. The only “manual” mechanism to open a rear door is to pull a cable—but reaching said cable involves removing “the rubber mat on the bottom of the rear door’s map pocket,” according to Tesla.

The person then has to pull the cable forward before pushing the door open. These manual releases are in different locations in various Tesla models.

The November 2024 crash occurred when a Cybertruck carrying four people crashed into a tree and caught fire. A friend following in another vehicle broke one of the Cybertruck’s windows and rescued one of the four people. He was unable to rescue Tsukahara, who the suit alleges died from burns and smoke inhalation, not the impact of the crash. 

Tsukahara’s family is also suing the estate of the driver, who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol, amphetamines, and cocaine when the car crashed. 

Fast Company has reached out to Tesla for comment and will update this post if we hear back.

Tesla’s door handles have a history of malfunctioning 

Elon Musk’s electric car company uses door-open buttons across its vehicles, with further accusations beyond the Cybertruck.

On September 10, a Bloomberg report revealed that over 140 customers had complaints “related to Tesla’s doors getting stuck, not opening, or otherwise malfunctioning since 2018.”

Multiple cases mirror Tsukahara’s case of being stuck inside a burning vehicle, unable to get the doors open. 

Take a Toronto crash, in October 2024. A Tesla Model Y crashed into a barrier and caught fire, killing all four of its passengers. The electric door buttons didn’t work, trapping the individuals in the car. 

Five days after the Bloomberg report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Tesla’s Model Y vehicles, specifically looking at opening doors from the outside without power. Its preliminary evaluation points to incidents in which parents have been unable to get their child out of the car. 

In a September 17 interview on Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit! podcast, Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen claimed that the company is working on a redesign to help in a “panic situation.” It would combine the mechanical and electronic door releases. 

“So in the moment that you’re in a panic situation, the muscle memory to go to what you know is right there,” von Holzhausen said. “You just pull a little bit further on the lever and you have the mechanical release.”

It seems Tesla’s solution to its dangerous design is to provide a normal, functioning door handle. 

View the full article