Tesla under fire as the Cybertruck’s high-tech features fail catastrophically

A harrowing new lawsuit has just dropped, claiming that the unique design of Tesla’s Cybertruck doors tragically prevented escape during a fiery crash, leaving three people dead. Attorneys filed a complaint in Alameda County, California, on March 16, on behalf of Jordan Miller, the sole survivor of the horrific incident.

The lawsuit alleges that the Cybertruck’s electronic door system failed, trapping Miller and his friends inside the burning vehicle after it crashed just before Thanksgiving in 2024. People Magazine reported that Miller, along with high school friends Soren Dixon, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Krysta Tsukahara, 19, were home from college for the holiday when their Cybertruck struck a tree in Piedmont. Dixon was driving, with Miller in the passenger seat.

According to the complaint, the Cybertruck burst into flames almost instantly, with witnesses reporting that the fire quickly grew to around 10 feet tall around the vehicle. What’s even more gut-wrenching is that a friend, who had been following in a separate car, arrived at the scene within seconds. He desperately tried to open the Cybertruck’s doors but couldn’t. 

That is an insane safety failure

The complaint states he grabbed a tree branch and smashed the front window, managing to pull Miller to safety. However, he couldn’t reach the other three occupants. One of the Cybertrucks distinct features is the lack of exterior mechanical door handles. Instead, the doors open with electronic buttons.  

“A friend was right there within seconds,” Annie Wu, one of Miller’s attorneys, stated in a press release. “He couldn’t open the doors. No handles. The buttons weren’t working. Jordan was trapped in a burning vehicle when he didn’t have to be. That is a design problem.” 

Miller’s attorneys are bringing claims against Tesla for negligence, design defect, failure to warn, and failure to recall. They allege that Tesla, founded by Elon Musk, has been aware of the risk of trapping occupants for more than a decade. “When you design a vehicle with no mechanical way to open the doors from the outside, you are betting the electronics will work in every scenario, including a high-speed crash followed by a fire,” attorney Anthony L. Label explained.

For its part, Tesla has denied any wrongdoing in court filings, stating that the Cybertruck “is compliant with federal safety standards.” The lawsuit also names Dixon’s estate. Autopsy reports indicate that Dixon was intoxicated at the time of the crash and also had cocaine in his system.

Miller sustained severe injuries from the crash. Aside from burns to his airways and limbs, he also had about half of his colon removed and four fractured vertebrae that required fusion. His lawyers note he also suffered “emotional and psychological trauma.”Last year, a Tesla Model S was sued for the same reason, doors that did not function when a fire broke out. Additionally, the Cyberturck has had some other safety issues, which begs the question of why they are popular in the first place.