Frunk Emergency Release Missing in New Tesla Models

The Missing Button: Tesla's Model Y Quietly Drops a Key Safety Feature

OCt 22,2025,By LEO

A quiet but significant change is rippling through the Tesla community. Owners of the brand new Model Y delivered in Oct 2025, are discovering their vehicles lack a feature present on models built just weeks earlier: the lighted emergency release button inside the front trunk (frunk).

This omission, detailed in this Reddit discussion, has sparked a firestorm of questions about safety, legality, and Tesla's famous—or infamous—cost-cutting strategies.

What Exactly Is Missing?
Why This Is a Big Deal: Safety and Law
The Real Reason? Here Are the Top Theories.
What Should Affected Owners Do?

1. What Exactly Is Missing?

The issue was highlighted by a Tesla owner who took delivery of two nearly identical Model Y SUVs ordered in September 2025.

The vehicle delivered in September had the standard, lighted emergency release button inside the frunk.
The vehicle delivered in October had a blank panel where the button should be.

Crucially, this isn't just a case of a forgotten part. The entire wiring harness needed to support the button is also missing. This points to a deliberate design change implemented between production months, catching early adopters by surprise.

2. Why This Is a Big Deal: Safety and Law

The immediate reaction from the online community was one of alarm, and for good reason.

It's Likely the Law: In the United States, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 401 mandates an interior release mechanism for enclosed trunks to prevent entrapment. While the frunk is smaller, its legal status has historically been clear.
Public Safety Concern: Commenters were quick to point out scenarios where this feature could be critical, however unlikely. The consensus was clear: "Report this to the NHTSA." Many believe this is a clear-cut case for a safety recall.

3. The Real Reason? Here Are the Top Theories.

Tesla has remained officially silent, but the evidence and community speculation point to a few compelling possibilities. This isn't just a random parts shortage; it's a calculated move.

Theory 1: A Cost-Cutting "De-Contenting" Campaign (Most Likely)

This is the simplest explanation. Tesla is known for aggressively optimizing its manufacturing costs. Removing a button, a light, and its associated wiring might only save a few dollars per car, but multiplied by hundreds of thousands of vehicles, the savings are substantial. They may be betting that most owners will never notice or need the feature.

Theory 2: Preparing for the "Model Y Standard" (Very Plausible)

Tesla is expected to launch a cheaper variant of the Model Y. It's highly likely that this budget model would use a cheaper frunk design without this release. To simplify production, Tesla may have started using this new, cheaper frunk liner across all models sooner than expected, creating this inconsistency.

Theory 3: A Regulatory Gamble (Risky)

There's a chance Tesla's legal team has interpreted FMVSS 401 to mean the frunk no longer qualifies as a "trunk" that needs a release, perhaps due to its size. However, with no public change in the law, this would be a huge gamble that invites scrutiny from the NHTSA.

4. What Should Affected Owners Do?

If you have an October-delivered Model Y, you are not powerless. Here is a clear action plan:

File a Service Request Now: Use the Tesla app to officially report the "missing frunk emergency release." This forces Tesla to document your case and provide a response.
Report to the NHTSA: This is the most critical step. File a Vehicle Safety Complaint on the NHTSA website. Regulatory pressure is the only language that guarantees a corporate response.
Stay Informed: Owners are coordinating online in the original Reddit thread. Share your experience and note your vehicle's build date and factory to help track the scope of the issue.

The community is waiting with bated breath for the first "official" response from a Tesla Service Center. The outcome will reveal whether this was an oversight or a new, controversial standard.