Woman says she was attacked over faulty Tesla door

December 11, 2024 — Tesla class action lawsuit alleges door lock issues when using Tesla mobile app.

The plaintiff, named in the lawsuit as “Jane Doe,” claims she was sexually assaulted due to a faulty Tesla locking system.

Tesla class action lawsuit includes:

“Everyone who buys or leases a TESLA vehicle has the same locking system as PLAINTIFF’s Model Y. If the doors are locked using the TESLA app while inside the vehicle, the vehicle will not lock from the outside.”

Tesla Model Y incident

Jane Doe said she owned a Tesla Model Y and drove to a mall in California where there was a parking lot with an electric vehicle charging station.

She took her mobile phone and plugged it into the charger, opened the car door, got in, and closed the door. The plaintiff said she locked the door using the Tesla app on her phone.

“After the plaintiff pressed “Lock” on the TESLA App, the icon on the TESLA App changed from unlocked to locked, indicating to the plaintiff that the vehicle was locked. In addition, the vehicle’s rearview mirror was closed, also indicating to the plaintiff that the vehicle was locked outside .”— Tesla door lock lawsuit

Doe said she felt safe in Model Y after seeing the lock indicator light and mirrors closed.

While Doe was sleeping in the Tesla while it was charging, a person named in the lawsuit (JM) began shaking the Model Y violently. When he shook the vehicle, the sirens did not activate and the headlights did not come on, the lawsuit states. Not pulsating.

JM was able to open the driver’s side door, “Although the plaintiff used her phone to lock the vehicle via the TESLA app when entering the vehicle, after an icon on the TESLA app indicated to her that the vehicle was locked, and after the side mirrors were closed, Plaintiff was reminded that her car was locked.”

According to the lawsuit, JM physically and sexually assaulted Doe in her car. She claimed she honked her horn to try to alert someone, then grabbed her phone and called 911.

“The plaintiff threw her cell phone to the passenger side and began yelling: ‘I hate this mall, it’s full of rapists’ and ‘Charging stations are so slow,’ trying to alert the 911 operator of her location. 911 continued for approx. Seven (7) minutes.”

No help arrived before police rescued her, Doe said.

Tesla door lock class action lawsuit

The owner’s manual states that the owner’s phone can be used as a “master key” to unlock and lock the vehicle, as an alternative to the key card provided by Tesla, the class action lawsuit said. The plaintiff claims that when the doors are locked, the rearview mirrors fold up.

However, the suit alleges the door was not locked from the outside, allowing JM to gain access to the vehicle.

According to the Tesla class action lawsuit, occupants were given a false sense of security when they used a mobile app to lock their doors. The plaintiffs claim Tesla failed to provide consumers with adequate warnings or instructions about the locking system.

In addition to the locking system, the mobile app was also manufactured and designed by Tesla, but customers were unaware of the alleged flaw in the mobile app.

The Tesla door lock system class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Eastern District): Jane Doe v. Tesla, Inc. et al..

The plaintiffs are represented by Knez Law Group, LLP.