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Comment by breput | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, it is so obvious that it takes a couple of times to _not_ use the emergency release in the front seats. Even to the point that a warning pops up on the screen telling you to not use the emergency release in order to not damage the door seal (when using the normal door button, a Tesla's windows lower slightly to equalize the air pressure).

That said, I do have serious concerns with the emergency release in the rear seats. It is not at all obvious, even with recent updates[0], and in an accident or case where a rear seat passenger is not physically capable of climbing into the front, I don't know how someone would be able to exit the car.

[0] https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-model-y-got-a-more-...

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"when using the normal door button, a Tesla's windows lower slightly to equalize the air pressure"

Not correct - the real reason is because the Tesla windows are frameless and it is not possible to open or close the door without the window colliding with the gasket as it swings into place. The soft open button tells the window to retract by a sight amount allowing the window enough clearance to prevent it from colliding with the gasket. If the door is emergency opened it takes a bit of the gasket with it. Normal cars have a frame around the window so the gasket is always with the window which can only move up and down, but the Tesla has the possibility of the window rotating sideways in addition to up and down.

Thank you for the correction

FWIW, this is completely incorrect. This is just a Tesla choice, not a necessity. There are many cars with frameless doors and mechanical handles that manage to roll the window down before contacting the weatherstripping, and up again after the door again. The easiest examples are all Mustangs made in the last 15-20 years or so, as well as recent Camaros (the sixth generation for sure, but quite possibly the fifth generation as well).

The fact that Tesla cannot roll the windows down on a mechanical release is slightly embarrassing, to be honest. It's not exactly a new technique.

It's a bit harsh to say that I'm completely incorrect, since all the facts are there. I didn't intend to imply that Tesla needed to make it work this way, nor did I imply that the decision is justified, just that this is how the existing mechanism deals with the problem. Good point on the Mustangs, it really shows the lack of design foresight on Tesla's part.

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