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

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you’ll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.

In this morning’s edition, Tesla owners en masse are complaining about issues with door handles on their cars, Toyota is getting ready to post its second-straight quarterly profit drop thanks to U.S. tariffs, Ferrari actually saw a 5% earnings increase in Q3 and Jeep is recalling 340,000 vehicles over a pesky fire issue.

Lock in because it’s election day in America. You’d better read this and then go vote, or else I’ll fight you personally. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether some Tesla door handles aren’t operating properly, and it has received a bevy of complaints from owners within days of initiating its probe into the issue. Many owners are reporting they were unable to either enter or exit their Tesla after a battery failure. You could understand why this would be a major safety concern.

In an October 27 letter to Tesla about the investigation, NHTSA cited additional complaints from owners. In some cases, the allegation was that issues with the car’s low-voltage battery actually locked children inside because the exterior door handles became inoperable. From Bloomberg:

The letter provides a glimpse into how NHTSA is proceeding with an investigation launched days after Bloomberg News uncovered a series of incidents in which people were injured or died after they were unable to open the doors of Teslas following battery-power losses or crashes. Tesla’s longtime design chief later told Bloomberg that the company was working on changes to its door handles.

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NHTSA is seeking information from Tesla not only about the 2021 Model Ys that are subject to its investigation, but also about cars it refers to as “peer vehicles.” The agency says in its letter that this refers to 2017-2022 Model 3 sedans, as well as 2020 and 2022 Model Y sport utility vehicles.

The regulator asks Tesla to state the number of consumer complaints it has received that relate to the alleged defect, as well as reports involving a crash, fire, injury or fatality. NHTSA also seeks information about lawsuits and arbitration proceedings relating to door operability issues.

Here’s a rundown of some of the complaints NHTSA was made aware of in regards to this issue. I’ll be real, some of them are a bit disturbing. I cannot imagine the stress of locking your child in a car.

The regulator received seven more complaints in the 10 days after opening the probe. One Model Y owner in Chula Vista, California, described being trapped along with their son strapped in his car seat for 30 “agonizing” minutes before a tow truck arrived and jump-started the battery.

Another Model Y owner in Coral Springs, Florida, told NHTSA they strapped their son into their car seat and were then unable to get into the car after the 12-volt battery died.

“My infant son was trapped,” the Tesla owner wrote of the December 2023 incident. “We live in Florida and this was an 80 degree day. With no other recourse I was forced to call 911 to have my son removed from the vehicle.”

The most recent complaint, submitted Sept. 26, recounts an incident involving an 8-month-old child who was trapped inside a Model Y for approximately 30 minutes.

“My infant was flushed, diaphoretic and crying while stuck in his car seat with an indoor temperature exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit,” the Tesla owner wrote to NHTSA.

Police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene in Santa Barbara, California, and smashed the window to rescue the infant, according to the complaint.

“My baby was found screaming in a pool full of sweat and was carried to an ambulance, where the paramedic warned me of concerning vital signs and advised me to go to the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital to have his condition assessed and treated, if necessary,” the Model Y owner wrote.

Tesla has until December 10 to submit a response to NHTSA… or else. We’ve talked about these door handle issues at length before. They’ve been an issue for quite some time now.

Toyota seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch (who amongst us hasn’t?), and it’s poised to post a second consecutive quarter operating profit decline this week. You can thank President Trump’s tariffs and supply-chain-related issues that have disrupting the automaker’s global sales of hybrids.

Of course, Toyota is still the world’s best-selling automaker, but it’s forecast to report a 25% year-over-year profit drop to $5.72 billion for the third quarter, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. It would represent the Japanese automaker’s weakest performance since the fourth quarter of 2022, shedding light on macroeconomic factors following strong hybrid sales and favorable exchange rates that fueled the record earnings streak it previously enjoyed. From Reuters:

“One thing in focus is whether they will change guidance,” said Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory.

“They could do so mainly because of a weaker yen and because tariffs have been set at 15%. Given those factors, they can make an upward revision, but it’s also possible they won’t do it.”

Global sales of Toyota and its luxury Lexus brand vehicles reached 7.8 million units in the first nine months of the year, up 5% from a year earlier. Toyota has benefited from a shift in consumer preference toward high-margin hybrid vehicles, especially in the U.S., its biggest market where sales rose 8% year-on-year over the period.

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

The automaker continues to grapple with tariffs imposed by Washington on global auto imports, including from Japan, for which the import levy is set at 15%.

At its previous earnings announcement in August, Toyota estimated a hefty 1.4 trillion yen hit from the levies and slashed its full-year operating profit forecast by 16% to 3.2 trillion yen. Investors will be watching closely for any further revision.

Toyota’s big bet on hybrids rather than EVs seems to have paid off. Hybrid cars accounted for 42% of Toyota and Lexus’ sales over the middle two quarters of the year. During that same period, electric cars made up just 2% of total sales.

Ferrari is loving the fact that the rich are doing so well right now, because it just posted a better-than-expected third-quarter result. Earnings were up 5% in the three months leading up to September 30, helped by pricier models like the SF90 XX and 12Cilindri. The ability the add extra costs to vehicles through personalizations also helped things a great deal — somewhat offsetting higher U.S. import tariffs. All in all, vehicle shipments were up 0.5% to 3,401 units. From Reuters:

Ferrari said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to 670 million euros ($781 million) in the July-September period.

That topped analysts’ consensus of 649 million euros in a Reuters poll.

The Italian company also confirmed its full-year forecasts, which it slightly improved last month when it presented a new long-term business plan.

It expects net revenue of at least 7.1 billion euros and adjusted EBITDA to be at least 2.72 billion euros in 2025.

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As part of its October capital markets day, Ferrari also unveiled technology which will power its much-awaited first electric car, as the 78-year-old automaker looks to add battery power to its hybrid and petrol-engine models.

The completed new ‘Elettrica’ EV is expected to be presented at a global premiere next year.

“On the product front, we continue to provide our clients with maximum freedom of choice in terms of powertrain,” CEO Benedetto Vigna said.

This is all part of Ferrari’s goal to hit a targeted 9 billion euro net revenue by 2030 and an adjusted EBITDA of at least 3.6 billion euros. That’s a tall ask, but there are a hell of a lot of rich folks out there who want a red Ferrari.

Jeep is recalling about 320,000 vehicles in the U.S. (and a further 20,000 in Canada) because of a slight, you know, battery fire risk in their plug-in hybrid models, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Apparently, the high-voltage battery pack may have been built with cells susceptible to separator damage, which really isn’t what you want. From Automotive News:

The maker of Dodge and Ram brands is currently working on a remedy for the battery fire risk, according the notice. Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid models produced between 2020 and 2025 are part of the voluntary recall in the U.S. The 2020 model year is not affected in Canada, according to a recall notice on Transport Canada’s website.

News of the fire risk comes as Stellantis starts to reap some benefits from measures to regain market share in the U.S., its most important market. Shipments have started to pick up in North America after the ailing carmaker worked down inventories.

Stellantis has advised drivers to park their vehicles outside and not charge them until the fix can be completed. I suggest you head this warning.

History.com

If you ever find yourself in New York with a free evening and a few extra bucks, I implore you to check out “Oh Mary” on Broadway. Even if you’re not into the whole play thing, it’s one of the funniest pieces of performance art you’ll ever witness. I’m serious. I’ve seen it three times, and I’m never wrong about this sort of thing. Of course, it has very little to do with the actual lives of Mary Todd and Abe Lincoln, so if you want to learn more about them and their marriage, head over to History.com.

Smell ya later, Dick Cheney. Say hi to Rumsfeld and Kissinger for me.