Tesla to redesign door handle after safety probe

Tesla is redesigning its door handle system after U.S. safety regulators opened a probe and a Bloomberg investigation highlighted instances of occupants unable to escape after crashes. Lead designer Franz von Holzhausen said in an interview with Bloomberg that the team was working on a combined release mechanism that combines the electronic and mechanical functions in a single, more intuitive control.

What to monitor as Tesla revises its door handles

Tesla’s flush, electronically actuated handles have long been a signature design choice to maximize efficiency and aesthetics, but they create a significant edge case: If low-voltage power is lost, the electronic latches may not respond. Although every Tesla comes with an interior mechanical override, owners have long griped that it can be hard to find in a pinch, especially for passengers unused to the features on each model of the company’s vehicles.

Von Holzhausen said the goal is to package the manual and electronic functions into one easy-to-use, clearly labeled control that’s second nature whether or not you have power. It’s consistent with human-factors best practices, which favor consistent, discoverable interactions in emergencies.

Inside the NHTSA probe into Tesla door handle safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary evaluation after it received nine complaints of Tesla door handles or latches that failed at the worst possible time. In four of those reports, owners said that they broke a window to get into or out of the vehicle. Neither the driver nor passenger complainants remember observing low-voltage battery warnings, which made the diagnosis difficult in real time, the agency said.

Owner manuals explain how to use outside power to reawaken electronic locks, but it’s a process few drivers will try during a crash or medical issue.

That doesn’t worry automakers or their suppliers, which envision the potential for delivering pizza and other retail goods to the back seat because an owner is there.

Under scrutiny are two matters: electrical reliance, and lack of easy discoverability for mechanical releases. The former is clearly an engineering challenge, but the latter is more a problem of design and labeling.

Worldwide pressure mounted on hidden handles

In addition to the U.S. review, Chinese authorities have expressed concern about fully concealed handles throughout the industry and have been pushing automakers to reconsider e-latch systems for reliability and emergency escape. (A final rule has yet to be published.) The regulatory counterpoint abroad reflects a broader trend: favor simple ways of exiting over marginal aerodynamic gains.

Flush handles provide a bit of a drag and wind noise reduction, beneficial as to range and refinement. But those benefits are weighed against the requirement — built into United States safety standards — that occupants can open doors without special tools, even if electric power fails. A lot of EVs have already transitioned to hybrid solutions with mechanically augmented electroconductive buttons and brighter, standardized labeling.

Design trade-offs and the human factor in emergencies

Emergency egress is a human-factors issue, before an engineering one. A crash has the effect of causing people to revert to familiar acts: pulling a handle and pushing a door. If the anticipated grip is short, recessed in appearance, or reversed front-to-back, valuable time may be lost. Usability engineering research suggests that consistent control location and tactile feedback is more effective than just using stickers or infographics.

Tesla has learned similar lessons in the past. Owners of early vehicles equipped with retractable exterior handles had complaints about them in extreme cold, so design tweaks and service bulletins were issued. The latest push to redesign, prompted by federal scrutiny, implies that the company is now turning its user-centered lens on the inside mechanism and its fail-safes.

What owners should expect from Tesla’s door handle redesign

Tesla hasn’t commented on a timeframe for the rollout or if changes are coming via new hardware retrofits, updated production or a mix of both. Given that the issue is fundamentally one of mechanical access if there’s no power, any real solution would probably require actual pieces (say a revised integrated release) and instructions encouraging more guidance when low-voltage systems are down.

Short-term, owners can check emergency procedures in their manuals and make sure passengers know where the manual release is on each door. Responders often recommend drivers try out these applications at least once so that the movement becomes somewhat “natural” in the event of an emergency.

Industry implications if Tesla changes door handles

If Tesla adopts a combined electronic-mechanical egress control, you can expect other automakers with flush or pop-out handles to do the same.

It would bring the segment closer to what we’ve described as a de facto standard: of one, obvious action that plays under all power conditions; that is verified through tactile feedback and clear iconography. Such a path would also lessen regulatory pressure in various markets as well as confusion to emergency services.

The investigation is in its early stages, but the takeaway already is evident. You expect us to say “sleek exterior design” and “upright aero are table stakes in modern EVs”; you also know unambiguous, power-independent escape routes are not optional. Tesla’s upcoming redesign is an acknowledgement that at crucial junctions, what people want isn’t the coolest fucking doorknob in the history of civilization—but a door handle everyone can find and trust immediately.