Tesla Owners Across The Country Are Complaining About Their Malfunctioning Door Handles

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Good morning! It's Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, Tesla owners en masse are complaining astir issues pinch doorway handles connected their cars, Toyota is getting fresh to station its second-straight quarterly profit driblet acknowledgment to U.S. tariffs, Ferrari really saw a 5% net summation successful Q3 and Jeep is recalling 340,000 vehicles complete a pesky occurrence issue.

Lock successful because it's predetermination time successful America. You'd amended publication this and past spell vote, aliases other I'll conflict you personally. 

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether immoderate Tesla doorway handles aren't operating properly, and it has received a bevy of complaints from owners wrong days of initiating its probe into nan issue. Many owners are reporting they were unable to either participate aliases exit their Tesla aft a artillery failure. You could understand why this would beryllium a awesome information concern.

In an October 27 missive to Tesla astir nan investigation, NHTSA cited further complaints from owners. In immoderate cases, nan allegation was that issues pinch nan car's low-voltage artillery really locked children wrong because nan exterior doorway handles became inoperable. From Bloomberg:

The missive provides a glimpse into really NHTSA is proceeding pinch an investigation launched days aft Bloomberg News uncovered a bid of incidents successful which group were injured aliases died aft they were incapable to unfastened nan doors of Teslas pursuing battery-power losses aliases crashes. Tesla's longtime creation main later told Bloomberg that nan institution was moving connected changes to its doorway handles.

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NHTSA is seeking accusation from Tesla not only astir nan 2021 Model Ys that are taxable to its investigation, but besides astir cars it refers to arsenic "peer vehicles." The agency says successful its missive that this refers to 2017-2022 Model 3 sedans, arsenic good arsenic 2020 and 2022 Model Y athletics inferior vehicles.

The regulator asks Tesla to authorities nan number of user complaints it has received that subordinate to nan alleged defect, arsenic good arsenic reports involving a crash, fire, wounded aliases fatality. NHTSA besides seeks accusation astir lawsuits and arbitration proceedings relating to doorway operability issues.

Here's a rundown of immoderate of nan complaints NHTSA was made alert of successful regards to this issue. I'll beryllium real, immoderate of them are a spot disturbing. I cannot ideate nan accent of locking your kid successful a car.

The regulator received 7 much complaints successful nan 10 days aft opening nan probe. One Model Y proprietor successful Chula Vista, California, described being trapped on pinch their boy strapped successful his car spot for 30 "agonizing" minutes earlier a tow motortruck arrived and jump-started nan battery.

Another Model Y proprietor successful Coral Springs, Florida, told NHTSA they strapped their boy into their car spot and were past incapable to get into nan car aft nan 12-volt artillery died.

"My babe boy was trapped," nan Tesla proprietor wrote of nan December 2023 incident. "We unrecorded successful Florida and this was an 80 grade day. With nary different recourse I was forced to telephone 911 to person my boy removed from nan vehicle."

The astir caller complaint, submitted Sept. 26, recounts an incident involving an 8-month-old kid who was trapped wrong a Model Y for astir 30 minutes.

"My babe was flushed, diaphoretic and crying while stuck successful his car spot pinch an indoor somesthesia exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit," nan Tesla proprietor wrote to NHTSA.

Police officers and firefighters arrived astatine nan segment successful Santa Barbara, California, and smashed nan model to rescue nan infant, according to nan complaint.

"My babe was recovered screaming successful a excavation afloat of sweat and was carried to an ambulance, wherever nan paramedic warned maine of concerning captious signs and advised maine to spell to nan Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital to person his information assessed and treated, if necessary," nan Model Y proprietor wrote.

Tesla has until December 10 to taxable a consequence to NHTSA... aliases else. We've talked astir these doorway grip issues astatine magnitude before. They've been an issue for rather immoderate clip now.

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Toyota seems to person deed a spot of a unsmooth spot (who amongst america hasn't?), and it's poised to station a 2nd consecutive 4th operating profit diminution this week. You tin convey President Trump's tariffs and supply-chain-related issues that person disrupting nan automaker's world income of hybrids.

Of course, Toyota is still nan world's best-selling automaker, but it's forecast to study a 25% year-over-year profit driblet to $5.72 cardinal for nan 3rd quarter, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. It would correspond nan Japanese automaker's weakest capacity since nan 4th fourth of 2022, shedding ray connected macroeconomic factors pursuing beardown hybrid income and favorable speech rates that fueled nan grounds net streak it antecedently enjoyed. From Reuters:

"One point successful attraction is whether they will alteration guidance," said Seiji Sugiura, elder expert astatine Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory.

"They could do truthful chiefly because of a weaker yen and because tariffs person been group astatine 15%. Given those factors, they tin make an upward revision, but it's besides imaginable they won't do it."

Global income of Toyota and its luxury Lexus marque vehicles reached 7.8 cardinal units successful nan first 9 months of nan year, up 5% from a twelvemonth earlier. Toyota has benefited from a displacement successful user penchant toward high-margin hybrid vehicles, particularly successful nan U.S., its biggest marketplace wherever income roseate 8% year-on-year complete nan period.

Sales successful China and India posted gains of 5% and 12%, respectively.

The automaker continues to grapple pinch tariffs imposed by Washington connected world car imports, including from Japan, for which nan import levy is group astatine 15%.

At its erstwhile net announcement successful August, Toyota estimated a hefty 1.4 trillion yen deed from nan levies and slashed its full-year operating profit forecast by 16% to 3.2 trillion yen. Investors will beryllium watching intimately for immoderate further revision.

Toyota's big stake connected hybrids alternatively than EVs seems to person paid off. Hybrid cars accounted for 42% of Toyota and Lexus' income complete nan mediate 2 quarters of nan year. During that aforesaid period, electrical cars made up conscionable 2% of full sales.

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Ferrari is loving nan truth that nan rich | are doing truthful good correct now, because it conscionable posted a better-than-expected third-quarter result. Earnings were up 5% successful nan 3 months starring up to September 30, helped by pricier models for illustration nan SF90 XX and 12Cilindri. The expertise nan adhd other costs to vehicles done personalizations besides helped things a awesome woody — somewhat offsetting higher U.S. import tariffs. All successful all, conveyance shipments were up 0.5% to 3,401 units. From Reuters:

Ferrari said net earlier interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to 670 cardinal euros ($781 million) successful nan July-September period.

That topped analysts' statement of 649 cardinal euros successful a Reuters poll.

The Italian institution besides confirmed its full-year forecasts, which it somewhat improved past period erstwhile it presented a caller semipermanent business plan.

It expects nett gross of astatine slightest 7.1 cardinal euros and adjusted EBITDA to beryllium astatine slightest 2.72 cardinal euros successful 2025.

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As portion of its October superior markets day, Ferrari besides unveiled exertion which will powerfulness its much-awaited first electrical car, arsenic nan 78-year-old automaker looks to adhd artillery powerfulness to its hybrid and petrol-engine models.

The completed caller 'Elettrica' EV is expected to beryllium presented astatine a world premiere adjacent year.

"On nan merchandise front, we proceed to supply our clients pinch maximum state of prime successful position of powertrain," CEO Benedetto Vigna said.

This is each portion of Ferrari's goal to deed a targeted 9 cardinal euro nett gross by 2030 and an adjusted EBITDA of astatine slightest 3.6 cardinal euros. That's a gangly ask, but location are a hellhole of a batch of rich | folks retired location who want a reddish Ferrari.

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Jeep is recalling astir 320,000 vehicles successful nan U.S. (and a further 20,000 successful Canada) because of a slight, you know, artillery occurrence consequence successful their plug-in hybrid models, according to nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Apparently, nan high-voltage artillery pack whitethorn person been built pinch cells susceptible to separator damage, which really isn't what you want. From Automotive News:

The shaper of Dodge and Ram brands is presently moving connected a remedy for nan artillery occurrence risk, according nan notice. Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid models produced betwixt 2020 and 2025 are portion of nan voluntary callback successful nan U.S. The 2020 exemplary twelvemonth is not affected successful Canada, according to a callback announcement connected Transport Canada's website.

News of nan occurrence consequence comes arsenic Stellantis starts to reap immoderate benefits from measures to regain marketplace stock successful nan U.S., its astir important market. Shipments person started to prime up successful North America aft nan ailing carmaker worked down inventories.

Stellantis has advised drivers to parkland their vehicles extracurricular and not complaint them until nan hole tin beryllium completed. I propose you caput this warning.

History.com

If you ever find yourself successful New York pinch a free evening and a fewer other bucks, I implore you to cheque retired "Oh Mary" connected Broadway. Even if you're not into nan full play thing, it's 1 of nan funniest pieces of capacity creation you'll ever witness. I'm serious. I've seen it 3 times, and I'm ne'er incorrect astir this benignant of thing. Of course, it has very small to do pinch nan existent lives of Mary Todd and Abe Lincoln, truthful if you want to study much astir them and their marriage, caput complete to History.com.