Tesla Drivers Buy Tools and Cars to Avoid Getting Trapped Inside

Erin Geter’s toddler son became trapped inside her Tesla in May when the electric doors lost power. A few weeks later, she was at a Honda dealership buying a new family car.

“I was very traumatized,” said the 39-year-old from Huntersville, North Carolina. These days, she prefers to transport her kids in the CR-V, which has standard door handles.

Geter’s case is a particularly extreme example of the lengths Tesla owners are now going to deal with a problem most had never imagined: being unable to open malfunctioning doors. Some are buying glass breakers in case they need to escape ...