Sept 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration said on Tuesday it had opened a

preliminary evaluation into about 174,290 Tesla Model Y

cars over reports of their electronic door handles becoming

inoperative.

The auto safety agency's Office of Defects Investigation

said it had received reports citing an inability to open

exterior doors, especially after parents exited to remove or

place a child in the rear seat, or after a drive cycle.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for comment.

(Reporting by Disha Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil

D'Silva and Pooja Desai)