Design flaws caused a Tesla Model 3 to suddenly accelerate out of control before it crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames, killing a woman and severely injuring her husband, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges.
Another defect, with the door handle design, thwarted bystanders who were trying to rescue the driver, Jeff Dennis, and his wife, Wendy, from the car, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Wendy Dennis died in the Jan. 7, 2023, crash in Tacoma, Washington. Jeff Dennis suffered severe leg burns and other injuries, according to the lawsuit.



Yea I love EVs but wtf, stop making the handles recessed. It doesn’t add much to range and it only makes using the car harder. I have an EV9 and I hate the handles. Just let us push the handle to pop it out like old entertainment center glass doors.
They should stop with all these funky handles. Took a BYD cab the other day and it took me almost a minute to figure out how to open the door from inside to get off.
If it’s a choice between having the car look sleeker and not killing a few dozen people, I’m sure Musk is going to choose the former.