# 2019 TESLA MODEL 3 — STRUCTURE:BODY
> NHTSA complaint `2206613` · 2026-05-14 · Tesla, Inc.
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 1
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** Yes
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** TESLA
- **Model:** MODEL 3
- **Year:** 2019
- **Manufacturer:** Tesla, Inc.
- **Component:** STRUCTURE:BODY
## Narrative
Component: Exterior Door Handle (Front Passenger)  Incident Description: A latent manufacturing defect resulted in the structural delamination of the interior chrome plating on the front passenger door handle. This failure occurred after the last use of the handle, creating a razor-sharp metallic edge that was not visible during a normal approach to the vehicle. Upon contacting the handle to open the door, a passenger sustained a deep laceration from this jagged metallic blade.   Safety Hazard: The defect transforms a primary vehicle touchpoint into a concealed cutting hazard. The chrome skin peels and curls into a sharp edge without warning or visible signs of wear, posing an ongoing risk of serious physical injury to any occupant.  Manufacturer Response: Tesla Service (Los Gatos) was provided with photographic evidence of the razor edge and the resulting injury. While acknowledging the injury, Tesla refused a safety-based "goodwill" repair, citing the vehicle’s age (2019) and the absence of a formal recall. Tesla further attempted to attribute this structural material failure to cleaning products, despite the vehicle being garage-kept and maintained only with pH-neutral enthusiast-grade soaps. Tesla has since refused further discussion.  Request: This defect poses an ongoing risk of serious physical injury to any occupant using the handles. I am reporting this to assist in identifying a trend of material failure in 2017–2020 Model 3 chrome door handles.
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · MORVS · CC0 1.0*