Finally? Took Them Long Enough
A “robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles,” that’s what the feds want, and we’re hoping it’s what all of us get. Considering the staggering number of fatalities and lawsuits connected to door handles in the past few years, it’s about time that governments start taking action. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is moving towards more “normal” door handles in the near future.
The agency recently denied a petition request to investigate a Tesla Model 3’s emergency door handles, citing that the levers were hard to locate. The NHTSA deemed it unsafe in the event of a crash, and from there it also asserted to “mandate a robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles.”
Tesla
Fingers Pointed at Tesla et al.
Flush door handles are a staple on electric vehicles, especially Teslas, but there have already been several cases where a Tesla got into an accident, and the driver was left trapped inside. Unable to escape, some unfortunate cases led to deaths and lawsuits that soon followed.
In addition, even China’s already putting a stop to the gimmick. While flush door handles might look cool and be cool in practice, their implementation in modern vehicles depends on electricity. This means that if the power were to go out in a vehicle, the handles would cease to work, forcing the occupant to use a backup mechanical latch, which engineers have designed.
Autoblog / LeRoy Marion
No Defect
However, it appears that the feds are done with all of this and are now acting. According to Bloomberg, the NHTSA asserted that there was no factory defect in Tesla’s door handle designs, but rather that they operated as normal, which left too much potential danger on the table.
Unfortunately for Tesla, there was no defect present, only bad design. As of right now, Tesla’s door handles are operating as intended: electric latches for the outside and electric plus mechanical for the inside. What Tesla didn’t design is an emergency release for the outside door latches, which would make the jobs of first responders much easier in the event of a crash and if they needed to extract an occupant from the vehicle.
As such, the NHTSA has stated that these types of handles leave too much potential danger on the table in the event of an emergency. Now the government agency is looking to set a new rule and standard moving forward.
It’s Going to Take a While…
Ideally, the ruling should come into effect right away, but as with anything related to laws, there is a process that must be followed. According to the Bloomberg source, an industry analyst estimated that the new standard will be put into action by around 2030 at the earliest; however, we’re glad to see that there is at least some motion to get this annoying (and potentially deadly) design choice out of motor vehicles.
For a final word, the agency stated, “NHTSA does not believe that the issues presented by the Petitioner indicate the likelihood of a safety-related defect that would warrant a defect investigation, and the issue is best addressed through the rulemaking process.”
About the author
Earl Lee
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