Image: Tesla
Tesla is working on a redesign of its vehicle door handles after increasing scrutiny from regulators over safety concerns. Design chief Franz von Holzhausen revealed the change during an interview on Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit podcast this week.
According to von Holzhausen, Tesla plans to combine the electronic and manual door-release mechanisms inside the cabin, which are currently in separate locations, into a single control. “The idea of combining the electronic one and the manual one together into one button, I think, makes a lot of sense. That’s something that we’re working on,” he said.
The redesign is intended to make Tesla’s door handles more intuitive in “a panic situation.” Von Holzhausen explained that the resulting mechanism could allow occupants to simply “pull a little bit further on the lever” to trigger a mechanical door release instead of the usual electronic functionality.
The update comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week launched a probe into potential defects with Tesla’s doors. The investigation covers roughly 174,290 Model Y SUVs from the 2021 model year. NHTSA said it will examine incidents in which exterior handles stopped working and trapped children inside vehicles, along with Tesla’s approach to supplying power to the door locks and the reliability of those power supplies.
Bloomberg previously reported that Tesla’s handles have been linked to a series of incidents where occupants were unable to exit after a crash, sometimes leading to injuries or fatalities. Since 2018, the NHTSA has received more than 140 consumer complaints related to doors on various Tesla models getting stuck, not opening, or otherwise malfunctioning.
China is also considering stricter regulations around fully flush door handles, while Europe has adopted measures to improve post-crash rescue protocols. “We’ll have a really good solution for that,” von Holzhausen said, noting that Tesla is studying Beijing’s requirements and preparing to make necessary changes.
This isn’t the first time Tesla’s door handles have faced regulatory attention. Back in 2022, South Korean police investigated complaints that Tesla’s concealed, flush door handles could pose safety risks, although the case was later dropped.
