Parents sue Tesla over Cybertruck's faulty door, causing daughter's death

Elon Musk's Tesla is being sued by parents over the company's faulty Cybertruck car design that caused the death of their daughter.

The incident happened during Thanksgiving weekend in November 2024. The 19-year-old victim, Krysta Tsukahara and three other passengers were in a Tesla Cybertruck, on their way to meet their parents in the Bay Area, California. But, due to overspeeding, the car hit a tree on the side of the road, and fire ignited inside the car.

The driver, understood to be DUI (Driving Under the Influence) of alcohol, Tsukahara, sitting in the backseat and another passenger, couldn't open the door, and unfortunately burned to death.

The fourth was actually pulled by a good samaritan, by breaking open the door's window from the outside.

In the plea, which was filed Thursday (October 2) at Alameda County Superior Court, parents blame the Cybertruck car's flawed design as the primary reason for their daughter's death, reported The Guardian.

It has come to light that when the car's battery gets damaged during a fire, the door loses power to work. There is a manual procedure to open the door. The car features a cable which is said to be found in a pocket liner under the door’s storage compartment. Only those who regularly use the car would know this safety feature, but people new to the Cybertruck will find it difficult to locate the manual door opener cable during an emergency situation.

Suit noted that Krysta was alive after the crash and called out for help, but help didn't come soon enough, and she passed away in the car.

“The design of this vehicle failed Krysta. There was no functioning, accessible manual override or emergency release for her to escape,” Roger Dreyer, the attorney representing the Tsukahara family, said in the case filing in California court.

Elon Musk, during the launch of the Cybertruck, said the pickup truck's design was partly influenced by fictional James Bond's amphibious car featured in 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.

"(Pickup)Trucks have been the same for a very long time. Like 100 years, trucks have been basically the same. We want to try something different," Elon Musk had said during the launch of the electric Cybertruck in November 2019.

Though Cybertruck has been hailed for its super durability. It has received high safety ratings for its ability to secure the passenger during crash tests, but Tesla has been panned for its design by car safety experts. It can be noted that the US Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are already investigating the same flaw that cuts electricity to operate the door during an accident.

"Tesla had repeated and direct notice that its reliance on electronic door systems created a serious risk of entrapment. “Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where Tesla occupants survived crash forces but could not escape when electrical power failed and fire ensued,” says the suit.

So far, Tesla has not responded to the court notice yet.

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