Parents Sue Tesla, Claim Cybertruck Doors Trapped Their Daughter in Fatal Crash

The family of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Tesla, alleging that a flaw in the Cybertruck’s door design prevented her from escaping after the vehicle caught fire following a crash. 

According to the court filing in Alameda County Superior Court, the Cybertruck crashed at high speed into a tree in Piedmont, California in November 2024. Three passengers — including Tsukahara — died, while one survived. 

The suit argues that when the truck lost electrical power in the crash, its electronic door-unlock system failed, and the manual release mechanism was hidden, hard to locate, or inaccessible from the inside.  The family contends that Tesla had prior warnings of similar issues but did not address them. 

Tesla has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit. Meanwhile, the company is under federal scrutiny: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently launched an investigation into stuck-door complaints in Tesla vehicles. 

This case adds to mounting legal and regulatory pressure on Tesla over safety and design defects, particularly concerning its reliance on electronic door mechanisms.