US regulators will consider developing new requirements for automakers to ensure drivers and passengers can safely exit their vehicles. The new rulemaking process, described in a regulatory filing and first reports Bloombergit follows a series of incidents, including fatalities, in which people have been trapped inside cars with recessed, electronically operated door handles like those found in Tesla vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made the announcement in response to a report asking the agency to open a safety defect investigation into the mechanical emergency door release design in 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles. The report alleged that the door release does not comply with federal motor vehicle standards.
NHTSA denied taking the action the petitioners wanted, saying the issue would be better addressed by rulemaking rather than defect investigation.
If the agency adopts new rules, all automakers will have to follow them. However, it is important to note that the “start” of rulemaking does not mean new ones will be developed, according to NHTSA.
“NHTSA received a request for a rulemaking to require an emergency door exit system to address the risk of occupants being trapped in vehicles during a power outage, and the agency accepted that request,” the agency explained in an emailed statement. “Granting a petition for rulemaking is not a decision by NHTSA to issue a new safety standard, but it begins the evidence-gathering process to make an informed decision. NHTSA will collect additional information and data, and solicit public comment, to determine whether rulemaking 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 research followed Bloomberg’s own research in a series of incidents in which Tesla drivers and passengers were trapped inside their vehicles after a crash.
While Tesla vehicles have manual door releases, they are only inside the car. In an initial review by NHTSA, investigators 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 the 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 position, closer to the power door handles.
This article has been updated to include a statement from NHTSA.
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