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China Cracks Down on Hidden Car Door Handles, Citing Safety Concerns
BEIJING – China is set to become the first nation to mandate a significant design change in automobiles, requiring car doors to be mechanically operable from the exterior. This new regulation, taking effect in 2027, targets the increasingly popular trend of “hidden” or flush-mounted door handles, a design choice initially championed by Tesla and subsequently adopted by numerous other automakers.
These futuristic handles, which typically remain flush with the vehicle’s body until electrically powered to pop out, have been favored for their aerodynamic benefits and sleek aesthetic. However, they have also introduced a critical vulnerability: the potential for malfunction after a crash or battery failure, making it difficult for first responders to access occupants.
Concerns surrounding these designs gained international traction after a September investigative report by Bloomberg News highlighted instances where Tesla’s electrically-powered doors became impossible to open from the outside in emergencies, necessitating the breaking of windows to extract survivors. While Tesla has not publicly commented on the new Chinese regulations, the company’s chief designer reportedly indicated to Bloomberg in September that redesigns were in progress.
Domestically, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into reports of 2021 Tesla Model Y exterior door handles failing to open, days after the Bloomberg report. A NHTSA spokesperson, while declining to comment on ongoing investigations, noted that the agency is also looking into similar electronic or battery issues with door handles in the Dodge Journey and has previously influenced recalls for Ford and Fisker vehicles concerning electronic door handle defects.
NHTSA is also reviewing a petition to investigate a related complaint concerning the interior door releases of Tesla Model 3 vehicles, which some drivers claim can also pose a hazard in a crash or battery failure, despite the presence of a manual release that owners report is difficult to locate in a crisis.
Tragically, both exterior and interior handle designs have been linked to fatalities. Bloomberg identified 15 deaths in crashes where Tesla doors wouldn’t open, including instances where occupants were unable to open doors from the inside.
The issue extends beyond Tesla. Consumer Reports indicates that Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, and Volvo all utilize some form of electronic door handles in certain models sold in the U.S.
In China, the Financial Times reports that “almost all” of the country’s top EV manufacturers incorporate retractable handles. A fatal crash last year involving a Xiaomi vehicle, where the driver was trapped due to inoperable doors, further intensified scrutiny of the problem.
In a recent infographic shared on Weibo, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology outlined the new regulations. To address “issues including inconvenient operation of exterior door handles and inability to open them after an accident,” vehicles will now be required to have exterior handles that can mechanically open car doors, even in dire circumstances like a battery fire.
For interior door handles, which can lose functionality “under certain circumstances,” the new rules mandate mechanical releases to be “not obstructed by other parts of the car and visible” to passengers. (Some Tesla vehicles currently require the removal of a speaker cover and pulling a cable to manually release the rear doors.)
While these new regulations will necessitate redesigns for global automakers selling vehicles in China, they will not directly impact the U.S. domestic market. Despite both being massive auto markets, China and the U.S. largely operate in separate spheres due to heavy tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles and prohibitions on cars utilizing certain Chinese technologies, effectively blocking most Chinese vehicles from the U.S. market.
However, pressure is mounting within the U.S. to address these safety risks. In addition to the ongoing NHTSA investigations, legislation was introduced in the House last month that would require automakers to include fail-safe manual releases on car door interiors and a clear method for rescue workers to enter vehicles from the exterior.