Parents sue Tesla alleging door flaw trapped students in fatal crash
The parents of two college students killed in a Tesla Cybertruck crash have filed lawsuits claiming a design flaw prevented them from escaping the burning vehicle. The incident occurred in November 2024 in Piedmont, California, when the vehicle struck a tree. Federal regulators are investigating similar door issues amid Tesla's push for autonomous driving.
On Thursday, the parents of Krysta Tsukahara, 19, and Jack Nelson, 20, filed lawsuits in Alameda County Superior Court against Tesla. The suits allege that a design flaw in the Cybertruck's doors trapped the students in the back seat as the vehicle burst into flames following a crash on November 2024. The driver, who was drunk and on drugs, smashed into a tree in the San Francisco suburb of Piedmont, California, and also died in the incident. A fourth passenger was rescued after a bystander broke a window and pulled them out.
The lawsuits claim Tesla knew about the door flaw for years but failed to address it adequately. In crashes involving fire, the battery powering the electronic door locks can be destroyed, making it nearly impossible to open the doors. Manual override releases exist but are difficult to locate, according to the filings. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
This case emerges weeks after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation last month into complaints about stuck Tesla doors. Drivers reported being unable to reopen doors after exiting, sometimes requiring them to break windows to retrieve children. The probe coincides with Tesla's efforts to demonstrate that its vehicles can operate safely without a driver.
The lawsuits follow other legal actions against Tesla, including an August ruling by a Florida jury awarding more than $240 million to the family of a college student killed in a runaway Tesla years earlier. The Tsukahara lawsuit was first reported by The New York Times.