US regulators will begin developing new requirements for automakers to ensure drivers and passengers can exit their vehicles safely. The new rulemaking process, outlined in a regulatory filing and first reported by Bloomberg, follows a series of incidents, including some fatal, in which people were trapped inside cars with flush, electronically actuated door handles, like
US regulators will begin developing new requirements for automakers to ensure drivers and passengers can exit their vehicles safely. The new rulemaking process, outlined in a regulatory filing and first reported by Bloomberg, follows a series of incidents, including some fatal, in which people were trapped inside cars with flush, electronically actuated door handles, like those found on Tesla vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the new rulemaking in response to a petition asking the agency to open an investigation into safety defects in the mechanical emergency door release design on 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles. The petition argued that the door release does not meet federal standards for motor vehicles.
NHTSA denied taking the actions the petitioners wanted, saying the best way to address the problem would be through rulemaking rather than a defect investigation.
If the agency adopts new rules, all automakers will have to follow them. However, it’s important to note that “starting” rulemaking does not mean new ones will be developed, according to NHTSA.
The decision comes less than a year after NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla door handles after receiving nine reports from owners who couldn’t get into their cars, sometimes with children still inside. The investigation followed Bloomberg’s own investigation into a series of incidents in which Tesla drivers and passengers were trapped inside their vehicles after an accident.
While Tesla vehicles have manual door releases, they are located solely inside the car. In an initial review by NHTSA, researchers found that the handles may not work if the electronic door locks do not receive enough voltage from the vehicle’s battery system.
Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen said last year that the company was working on a redesign of its door handles. Rivian said last year that it was changing the interior door handle design of its R2 SUV to place the manual release in a more visible location, closer to the power door handles.
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