Tesla Cybertruck's Rear Emergency Door Release Is A Dangerous Nightmare

If you’re in the back seat of a Tesla Cybertruck in some sort of emergency situation or with no power then you better start praying, because getting out won’t be easy. The Cybertruck, like many electric cars, has electronically popping doors for whatever goddamn reason. If the battery is dead or there’s some other sort of emergency, the doors can’t be popped, so automakers fit emergency releases that’ll open the door regardless of what state of charge the car has.

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Unfortunately, like a lot of the Cybertruck, this mechanism was not well thought out for the rear two doors. The front doors can open manually using a small lever in front of the window switches, but no such thing exists for the Cybertruck’s rear doors. Nope, it’s a three-step process in the back of this truck.

First, you’ve got to remove the rubber mat at the bottom of the rear door’s map pocket. Then you’ve got to unlatch a small plastic flap (the manual says “if equipped” so maybe not all Cybertrucks have this, but that would be awfully weird). Finally, you’ve got to pull a small release cable forward. Here’s the Tesla Cybertruck’s manual says:

In the unlikely event that Cybertruck has no low voltage power, you will not be able to open the doors from the interior by pressing the interior door open buttons. Instead, use the manual door releases.

CAUTION

Manual door releases are designed to be used only in situations when Cybertruck has no power. When Cybertruck has power, use the interior door open buttons.

WARNING

Do not use the manual door release while the vehicle is moving.

Screenshot: Tesla

I know this doesn’t sound all that bad on its face, but just imagine the Cybertruck you’re in has lost power and is on fire (as sometimes happens). You’ve got to get out really quickly, but the door popper isn’t working and the emergency release is buried deep in the door pocket. My friend, you’re boned. How is the driver going to explain all of that to you while the truck is up in flames? Sure, you could make the argument that if you read the manual you’ll know what to do. 1) How many people actually read their car’s manual? 2) How many PASSENGERS read a car’s manual? The answer is zero, amigo.

Perhaps you could climb to the front seats and go out through the front doors with their much more accessible emergency release, but that’s going to take a really long time to do — precious seconds you may not have — and you’re probably going to slice yourself open on some jagged piece of stainless steel.

Hopefully, no one will ever have to use the emergency release on a Cybertruck they’re in, but given the truck’s track record, those little cables are probably going to be pulled more than anyone would like. It would have been really nice if Tesla had put an emergency cable in a place that was accessible in an emergency.

h/t molesrcool via TikTok