Elon Musk’s Tesla, Inc. is facing renewed legal scrutiny over its door handle design after a new lawsuit alleged that a driver was trapped inside a burning vehicle following a crash.
The case centers on Wondafrash Gebreyes Gebremedihen, who was driving a 2025 Tesla Model Y on September 26, 2025, while working for Uber. According to the complaint, he was travelling northbound on the I-405 San Diego Freeway near Inglewood Avenue in Lawndale when the vehicle crashed.
A report from the California Highway Patrol states the car was moving at high speed when it veered across lanes, struck a freeway sign in the median, continued through the exit intersection, and ultimately crashed into a concrete wall.
The vehicle then caught fire.
Gebremedihen survived the initial impact but alleges he was unable to exit the vehicle due to its door design. According to the lawsuit, bystanders who attempted to help could not open the driver-side door from the outside.
What followed is described in the lawsuit in stark detail: “After the collision, good Samaritans attempted to render aid to Plaintiff, but the driver-side door of the subject Tesla Model Y could not be opened from the outside of the vehicle, trapping Plaintiff inside the burning vehicle. Another passerby was eventually able to smash open the driver-side window, and good Samaritans were able to extricate Plaintiff from the vehicle just prior to when the fire completely engulfed the vehicle.”
Gebremedihen says he suffered “catastrophic, life-threatening injuries,” which the lawsuit claims were worsened by the delay in escaping the vehicle.
At the center of the case is Tesla’s use of electronic door releases instead of traditional mechanical handles. The complaint argues that these systems—powered by a low-voltage battery—can fail during crashes, making the doors impossible to open from the outside.
While Tesla vehicles include a manual interior release, the lawsuit claims this offers limited protection if the driver is injured or incapacitated.
The filing further alleges that Tesla failed to adequately warn consumers that the vehicle “was not in a reasonably safe condition,” arguing that the risks associated with the design outweigh its benefits.
Tesla has not publicly responded to the specific allegations in this case. The company has previously maintained that its vehicles meet safety standards, even as regulators and courts examine similar claims.
The lawsuit comes amid a broader wave of legal challenges and regulatory scrutiny over electronic door handles. U.S. safety regulators opened an investigation into Model Y door handle failures in 2025 after reports that doors could become inoperable . Other lawsuits have alleged that occupants were trapped inside Tesla vehicles after crashes, in some cases resulting in death.
Despite these concerns, the Model Y has received top safety ratings in standard crash testing, highlighting a growing debate in the auto industry: not just how cars perform in crashes, but whether occupants can escape them.
The case, Wondafrash Gebreyes Gebremedihen v. Tesla, Inc., et al., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and is ongoing.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
