United Nations car safety officials have raised alarms over Tesla-style retractable door handles, linking them to passenger deaths in crashes. The electronic mechanisms may fail to open if a vehicle's power is lost, trapping occupants. This follows a US lawsuit against Tesla and proposals for new global standards.
Safety experts at the United Nations have expressed concerns about the reliability of Tesla-style car door handles, which have been implicated in passenger deaths. Incidents include people burning to death after being trapped in vehicles following crashes, as the flush electronic handles fail to open when battery-powered vehicles lose power. The experts stated that “in real-world crashes, retractable door handles may not open”.
These worries emerged weeks after Tesla faced a US lawsuit over its Cybertruck. The suit claims the vehicle's doors failed after an accident last November, trapping three people who died when it caught fire. Tesla pioneered hidden door handles in 2012 for a sleek appearance, and the design has spread to dozens of other vehicles. These handles pop out when pressed or when a key is detected nearby. Internally, many cars now use electronic buttons or switches instead of traditional handles.
Backup mechanical unlocking features exist in some models, but they are often hard to find. For instance, certain Tesla models have a small pulley hidden under a catch near the passenger door for faults. However, experts warn these systems are complicated to use in high-pressure crash situations. They added, “Instructions in owners’ manuals ... are no practical solution at an early stage of rescue.”
In September, German technical experts on a UN safety committee proposed new standards requiring door mechanisms to function without vehicle power. Draft regulations from last month specify that “The operating method of door release handles shall be intuitive.” China plans to ban the technology, while US officials investigate Tesla doors trapping children, including one case where a couple was locked out with their two-year-old inside for over 15 minutes in temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said style should not “come at the cost of safety and never should form be prioritised ahead of function.” Michael Passingham, a senior cars researcher at Which?, described electric door handles as a “form over function” feature and advised owners to locate internal mechanical releases. Earlier this month, Tesla informed Bloomberg it is exploring changes to make handles easier to open in a “panic situation.”