by The Danger of Electric Door Handles in Modern Cars
Firefighter Max Walsh, seeing smoke on the horizon, assumed he was heading to another car fire. But this time, he walked into a nightmare. The Tesla Model Y, engulfed in flames after a crash, had intact door locks, but they wouldn’t open. The disabled electrical system meant that even a conscious passenger in the front seat couldn’t unlock the doors.
Journalist Dana Hull extensively investigated the features of Tesla’s flush handles and the risks of their failure, reporting on how this design can become dangerous when the car loses power.
Tesla wasn’t the first to introduce flush, electrically actuated door handles, but it certainly popularized them. EV manufacturers often highlight that they look better and reduce air resistance, and this design has spread across the market from the Ford Mustang Mach-E to the new Nissan Leaf and Kia EV6. The complexity lies in the fact that when the low-voltage battery dies due to a crash, fire, or other reason, the electric door openers also stop working.
There have been numerous examples of this problem across various brands. Something cuts the car’s power, forcing passengers, owners, and sometimes rescuers to scramble, trying to open the doors. In numerous accidents, from the fatal Cybertruck fire in California to the Model S fire in Wisconsin, victims were reportedly unable to escape. It’s important to note that Tesla is not the only one with this problem.
The Problem is Not Only with Tesla
Ford recently recalled the Mustang Mach-E due to handle-related defects, and there have been several instances where owners found themselves locked inside or out due to dead batteries. Fisker also faced a similar issue with the Ocean model before its bankruptcy. A woman in a Rivian R1S called 911 and sat for 45 minutes in her car after it became immobilized on the roadside, with smoke entering the cabin. In fact, this problem has existed for over a decade.
In 2015, 72-year-old James Rogers and his dog Leah died in a Chevrolet Corvette. It was reportedly Rogers’ dream car. Again, the battery was dead. Those who found Rogers and Leah tried to get inside but couldn’t. When they finally succeeded, both had already perished from the heat inside the car. Making it even more tragic is the fact that the man apparently wasn’t aware that a mechanical door release was just a few centimeters away…
Mechanical Releases as an Imperfect Solution
In most of these cases with conscious passengers, safety is usually just the distance of a mechanical door release away. However, there are serious issues. First, many people don’t know where the mechanical release is or how to use it. But knowledge isn’t the only problem. What if the passenger is unconscious, for example after a crash, as happened when Walsh arrived at the burning Model Y?
The passenger in the front seat, Susmita Maddy, was pinned by the deployed airbags.
It’s the most horrific thing to see a person burning
, Walsh recounted.
If I could have opened the door, I could have pulled both of them out before the fire department arrived.
Maddy survived but suffered life-altering injuries. She inhaled smoke that caused irreparable damage to her lungs, and worse, received third-degree burns on her face.
Sometimes it’s very depressing to see my face
, she says.
Who is that? I wouldn’t recognize myself. Is this what I have become now? It took many months and countless nights of tears to get to this stage.
She is suing Tesla, claiming the doors pose an unreasonable safety risk.
Buying a Tesla was the worst decision of our lives
, says Maddy.
Regulatory Changes
China is now reportedly considering a ban on flush door handles. The country deems them dangerous and may soon require automakers to have at least partially visible exterior handles and mechanical releases inside the car. Again, this is not a perfect solution, but it could impact cars worldwide as several manufacturers consider China one of their largest markets.
The design can be fatal, as clearly seen in this case. Admittedly, even mechanical door locks can fail, but electric ones add complexity when every second counts. Whether China’s potential intervention will happen remains unknown. For now, anyone with electric door openers must know well where the mechanical release is and how to use it in an emergency. It could mean the difference between life and death.
The safety of electric door systems remains a pressing issue in a world where technology is rapidly advancing but not always accounting for all emergency scenarios. Implementing additional mechanical means and improved information support for drivers and passengers could significantly reduce the risks associated with such innovations. Furthermore, global safety standards may need updating to accommodate the latest technological solutions in the automotive industry.
