NHTSA Complaint #11708996 — 2026 TESLA MODEL Y

Tesla Model Ys built after September 2025 are no longer equipped with an interior emergency frunk release. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 401 mandates that all new passenger cars with trunks must have an interior trunk release (49 CFR § 571.401) to allow people trapped inside to escape, a rule established after children died by getting trapped in trunks. And for the handle's identification to be illuminated (visible) under both day and night conditions, often achieved with lighting or glow-in-the-dark features, to prevent entrapment fatalities, ensuring the release mechanism is always findable by a trapped person