China has become the first nation to require a change to make it easier to rescue people from car crashes: Car doors must be able to open from either side mechanically, like by lifting a handle.
The rules, which go into effect in 2027, follow international scrutiny of a futuristic design first popularized by Tesla, but adopted by many other automakers, in which door handles are electrically powered and hidden. They lie flush with the vehicle's exterior until they detect an approaching driver and pop out. They were embraced by automakers for both aerodynamic and aesthetic reasons, but introduced a new kind of vulnerability: They can malfunction after a crash or a battery failure.
As Bloomberg News detailed in an investigative report in September, Tesla's electrically-powered doors could become impossible to open from the outside in an emergency, forcing responders to break windows to extract survivors.
Tesla has not responded to NPR's request for comment, but in September, the company's chief designer told Bloomberg Tesla was working on redesigning its door handles.
Days after the Bloomberg report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into reports of 2021 Tesla Model Y exterior door handles failing to open. Reached for comment by NPR, a NHTSA spokesperson said that the safety regulator "generally does not comment on open investigations," but noted that the agency is also investigating an electronic or battery issue involving door handles in the Dodge Journey, and has previously influenced recalls of Ford and Fisker vehicles "for defects related to electronic door handles."
NHTSA is also evaluating a petition that they investigate a related complaint, that Tesla Model 3 vehicles' interior door releases can also pose a hazard in the event of a crash or battery failure. There is a manual release, but drivers have complained that it is difficult to locate in a crisis.
Both handle designs have been linked to fatalities; Bloomberg identified 15 deaths linked to crashes in which a Tesla's doors wouldn't open, including some in which occupants couldn't open doors from the inside.
And Tesla is not the only company using this style of door design. In the U.S., according to Consumer Reports, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati and Volvo all have some form of electronic door handles in some of their models.
And so do many companies in China; the Financial Times reports that "almost all" China's top EV makers sell models with retractable handles. Last year a fatal crash in a Xiaomi vehicle, in which the driver was trapped by inoperable doors, brought renewed attention to the problem.
In an infographic posted on the social media site Weibo on Monday, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that, "to address issues including inconvenient operation of exterior door handles and inability to open them after an accident," the new rules would require vehicles to be designed "such that users can mechanically open car doors using the exterior handles" even in the event of a disaster like a battery fire.
As for interior door handles, which can lose functionality "under certain circumstances," the post said, the new rules would require mechanical releases to be located where they are "not obstructed by other parts of the car and visible" to the passenger. (In some Tesla vehicles, you have to remove a speaker cover and pull on a cable to manually release the rear doors.)
The new regulation will affect global automakers who sell vehicles in China, and will need to redesign vehicles to comply, but it won't affect the U.S. domestic market. China and the U.S. are both massive auto markets, but they operate largely in separate spheres. Most vehicles sold in China are manufactured in China; meanwhile, the U.S. has both heavy tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles and a prohibition on cars with certain types of Chinese technology; together, the policies effectively block nearly all Chinese vehicles from the U.S. market.
But pressure has been mounting for the U.S., too, to address these safety risks. In addition to the NHTSA investigation, legislation was introduced in the House last month that would require automakers to include fail-safe manual releases on car door interiors, and a method for rescue workers to enter the vehicle from the exterior.
NPR's Huo Jingnan contributed to this report.
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