Tesla To Redesign Door Handles Amid Safety Concerns: Report

Tesla Inc. is revamping its door handle design to address safety issues that have trapped passengers inside vehicles during power failures, particularly after crashes, according to Bloomberg.

Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s design chief, revealed plans to merge the electronic and manual door-release mechanisms into a single, intuitive button. This change aims to simplify access in emergencies, addressing concerns over hard-to-find manual releases, especially for rear-seat passengers.

Safety Issues Prompt Action

While Tesla vehicles excel in crash survivability tests, these evaluations don’t assess post-crash exit accessibility. There have been incidents where power loss after an accident left occupants unable to exit Tesla vehicles, with some resulting in injuries or fatalities. 

The USA’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recorded over 140 complaints since 2018 about Tesla doors malfunctioning, including a probe into 174,290 Model Y SUVs from 2021 for defective handles trapping children. 

Tesla’s flush-to-the-door handles, while sleek, have complicated rescue efforts, as manual releases vary by model and year. Critics argue this design shifts responsibility onto passengers unfamiliar with the latches. 

China is considering banning fully concealed handles, and Europe is tightening post-crash rescue protocols, prompting Tesla to study potential changes globally.

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