Photo: @planwerk/X, Tesla
Tesla has an interesting history regarding safety features inside its vehicles. One particularly contentious feature was the manual door release since the doors are electrically powered. Fortunately, the refreshed Model 3 is fitted with easily accessible manual releases for both front and rear doors.
Following a series of fires and crashes resulting in fires, the emergency door releases (or lack thereof) of Tesla EVs have been put into question. All Teslas have electrically operated door releases, which are necessary to lower the window before opening and closing the doors. If the vehicle has no power, the door is opened via a manual release. In some Tesla models, these manual releases are more of an afterthought than a safety feature.
While the front doors are fitted with a large flap to trigger the door opening in an emergency, even without electrical power, the rear doors have been a mixed bag. Some models have no accessible emergency releases for the rear doors, while others have them hidden beneath the door panels. In the case of the Model 3, the owner's manual warns that "only the front doors are equipped with a manual door release."
This is only partially true, as the OG Model 3 does feature a manual rear door release. Still, it is placed beneath the door panel, which makes it impossible to use in emergencies. Thoughtful owners can easily retrofit an aftermarket manual release system. Without modifications, Tesla Model 3 rear doors cannot open from the inside without electrical power. Thankfully, Tesla changed that with the refreshed Model 3, also known as Highland.
The new owner's manual for the Europe-bound Model 3 shows that the rear doors are now fitted with an easily accessible manual door release. This is placed at the bottom of the door pocket, under a plastic cover that can be easily removed to access the mechanical release cable. It is not advised to use this system unless the car has no electrical power, which explains why Tesla wanted to make it less accessible on its vehicles.
It's ironic that this new feature has been revealed after the owner's manual of the refreshed Model 3 has been uploaded to Tesla's website. Almost nobody reads user's manuals these days, but such a nice discovery made many reconsider. I must say the Model 3's manual has a chance of being one of the most-read books on the market these days.
Still, just because the made-in-China Model 3 that sells in Europe and the Middle East has this feature is no guarantee that the cars made in Fremont will have them. We've seen such a story with the Model Y manual door release. Although the US and China variants make it easy to access the release cable, cars made at Giga Berlin are a different breed altogether. To open the door in an emergency, you must rip the door pocket liner, which might be impossible with bare hands, especially in a life-threatening situation.
While the front doors are fitted with a large flap to trigger the door opening in an emergency, even without electrical power, the rear doors have been a mixed bag. Some models have no accessible emergency releases for the rear doors, while others have them hidden beneath the door panels. In the case of the Model 3, the owner's manual warns that "only the front doors are equipped with a manual door release."
This is only partially true, as the OG Model 3 does feature a manual rear door release. Still, it is placed beneath the door panel, which makes it impossible to use in emergencies. Thoughtful owners can easily retrofit an aftermarket manual release system. Without modifications, Tesla Model 3 rear doors cannot open from the inside without electrical power. Thankfully, Tesla changed that with the refreshed Model 3, also known as Highland.
The new owner's manual for the Europe-bound Model 3 shows that the rear doors are now fitted with an easily accessible manual door release. This is placed at the bottom of the door pocket, under a plastic cover that can be easily removed to access the mechanical release cable. It is not advised to use this system unless the car has no electrical power, which explains why Tesla wanted to make it less accessible on its vehicles.
It's ironic that this new feature has been revealed after the owner's manual of the refreshed Model 3 has been uploaded to Tesla's website. Almost nobody reads user's manuals these days, but such a nice discovery made many reconsider. I must say the Model 3's manual has a chance of being one of the most-read books on the market these days.
Still, just because the made-in-China Model 3 that sells in Europe and the Middle East has this feature is no guarantee that the cars made in Fremont will have them. We've seen such a story with the Model Y manual door release. Although the US and China variants make it easy to access the release cable, cars made at Giga Berlin are a different breed altogether. To open the door in an emergency, you must rip the door pocket liner, which might be impossible with bare hands, especially in a life-threatening situation.
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