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Tesla is facing another lawsuit following a deadly crash involving a Model 3 in Tacoma, Washington, that left one person dead and another severely injured.

The federal complaint, filed Friday, centers on allegations that the sedan's sudden acceleration, defective doors, and lithium-ion battery hazards prevented a timely escape.

The incident occurred on Jan. 7, 2023, when Jeffery and Wendy Dennis were driving their 2018 Model 3.

According to the suit, the car "suddenly and rapidly accelerated out of control" for roughly five seconds before hitting a utility pole.

The impact triggered an "extremely hot fire" that engulfed the cabin. Wendy Dennis died at the scene, while Jeffery Dennis suffered catastrophic burns.

"Several bystanders ran to the vehicle and attempted to assist Jeff and Wendy Dennis, but the Model 3's door handles would not operate," the lawsuit states, Cryptopolitan reported.

"Several good Samaritans even attempted to use a baseball bat to break the car windows to help the Dennises out of the burning vehicle."

The filing claims Tesla's electronic handles failed the moment the vehicle lost low-voltage power, trapping the couple inside.

Tesla Faces Litigation Over Trapped Occupants

According to the NY Post, the complaint also highlights that the car's automatic emergency braking system did not activate, and the high-voltage battery pack contributed to a fire described as "hard-to-extinguish," preventing rescuers from reaching the occupants.

Tesla's door system, which relies on low-voltage power for operation, has been a focal point of recent litigation.

Lawsuits across the US allege that occupants can become trapped after crashes if the low-voltage battery dies, while manual releases are often hidden or difficult to access in emergencies.

Previous incidents include a Model S crash in Verona, Wisconsin, on Nov. 1, 2024, where five people died after being trapped in a fire, and a Cybertruck accident in Alameda County, California, later that month, which turned the vehicle into a "death trap" for three college students. In both cases, rescuers could not open the doors in time.

Tesla has not publicly responded to the Tacoma lawsuit. Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's design chief, previously stated the company is working on redesigning door handles to make them more intuitive for panic situations, but no widespread changes have been implemented yet.

Regulators, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are investigating these systems due to the growing number of fire-entrapment incidents.

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