Overview
- Prosecutors in North Rhine-Westphalia, citing an April 2026 expert finding, have sent the case to the Federal Motor Transport Authority.
- The expert concluded the car’s automatic door and window release failed after the impact, matching reports that the doors would not open.
- The September 2025 crash in Schwerte followed an alleged illegal overtake by a 57-year-old Passat driver, killing the Tesla’s driver and two children and leaving a third child to escape through a torn-off door.
- Many Teslas use power-only recessed door handles that can stay retracted if the car loses electricity, a design linked to a 2022 Brandenburg fire and banned in China from 2027.
- Germany’s motor authority says the Dutch RDW is the EU body responsible for Tesla approvals, so any recall or fix would need to be led from the Netherlands.