Electric carmaker Tesla is facing a new lawsuit in the United States over a deadly crash that allegedly left five people trapped inside a burning Model S because of a design flaw in the vehicle’s electronic door system.
The suit, filed Friday by the four children of Jeffrey and Michelle Bauer of Crandon, Wisconsin, accuses Tesla of negligence and “a conscious departure from known, feasible safety practices.” The couple died after their Model S veered off the road and hit a tree in Verona, a suburb of Madison, on November 1, 2024.
According to the complaint, the car’s lithium-ion battery ignited after impact, disabling the electronic door handles and trapping the Bauers and three others inside.
“Tesla’s design choices created a highly foreseeable risk: that occupants who survived a crash would remain trapped inside a burning vehicle,” the lawsuit says.
A nearby homeowner told emergency dispatchers she heard screams from the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames.
Tesla, headquartered in Austin, Texas, and led by CEO Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The lawsuit also names the estate of the car’s driver, accusing them of negligent driving.
Safety concerns over Tesla’s door designs have surfaced before. In September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into potential defects in Tesla’s electronic handles following reports that they could fail during emergencies.
The complaint highlights how rear-seat passengers, such as Michelle Bauer, would be especially at risk because the only manual release option requires lifting carpet to find a hidden metal tab, a step described as “non-intuitive” in moments of crisis.
Tesla has faced similar claims before. Families of two college students killed in a Cybertruck crash near San Francisco last November also sued, alleging they were trapped inside by the vehicle’s door design.
Despite the lawsuit, Tesla’s shares closed Monday up 2.5 percent.
The latest news in your social feeds
Subscribe to our social media platforms to stay tuned