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We reveal surprisingly high kinetic energy release in the intense-field fragmentation of D _3 ^+ to D ^+  + D ^+  + D with 10 ^16  W cm ^−2 , 790 nm, 40 fs (and 7 fs) laser pulses. This feature strongly mimics the behaviour of the D ^+  + D ^+  + D ^+ channel. From the experimental evidence, we conclude that the origin of the feature is due to frustrated tunnelling ionization, the first observation of this mechanism in a polyatomic system. Furthermore, we unravel evidence of frustrated tunnelling ionization in dissociation, both two-body breakup to D + D _2 ^+ and D ^+  + D _2 , and three-body breakup to D ^+  + D + D.