Tesla’s door handles may spur new US safety rules

U.S. regulators will look into developing new requirements for automakers to ensure drivers and passengers can safely exit their vehicles. The new rule-making process, outlined in a regulatory filing and first reported by Bloomberg, follows a series of incidents, including fatal ones, in which people have become stuck inside cars with flush, electronically operated door handles like those found on Tesla vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made the announcement in response to a petition that asked the agency to open a safety defect investigation into the emergency mechanical door release design on 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles. The petition argued that door release doesn’t comply with federal motor vehicle standards.

NHTSA denied taking the action that the petitioners wanted, saying that the issue would be best addressed through rule-making rather than a defect investigation.

If the agency adopts new rules, all automakers will need to follow them. However, it’s important to note that “commencing” rulemaking doesn’t mean new ones will be developed, according to NHTSA.

“NHTSA received a petition for rulemaking to require an emergency door egress system to address the risk of occupant entrapment in vehicles during electrical power failures, and the agency granted that petition,” the agency explained in an emailed statement. “Granting a rulemaking petition is not a decision by NHTSA to issue a new safety standard, but commences the process of gathering input to make an informed decision. NHTSA will gather additional information and data, and solicit public comments, to determine if a rulemaking for a new safety standard is appropriate under the requirements of the Vehicle Safety Act.”

The decision comes less than a year after NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla’s door handles after receiving nine reports from owners who were unable to get into their cars, sometimes with children still inside. The probe followed Bloomberg’s own investigation into a series of incidents in which Tesla drivers and passengers became trapped inside their vehicles following a crash.

While Tesla vehicles do have manual door releases, they are located only inside the car. In an initial review by NHTSA, investigators found the handles may not work if the electronic door locks don’t 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 it was changing the interior door handle design on its R2 SUV to put the manual release in a more visible location, closer to the electrically powered door handles.

This article was updated to include a statement from NHTSA.