Tesla to Redesign Door Handles After Safety Probe

Tesla told Bloomberg it is rethinking its door-handle design after mounting reports that drivers and passengers became trapped in vehicles following crashes. Chief designer Franz von Holzhausen said the company is "working on" changes to make handles less likely to trap people inside — a move that follows a new NHTSA probe and a Bloomberg investigation highlighting multiple incidents.

What’s going wrong

Two core issues have emerged. First, Tesla’s sliding electronic locks depend on the car’s power: if the battery system isn’t providing juice, the handles can become inert. Second, although cars have manual emergency releases, those mechanisms are often hidden, hard to find, or difficult to operate in a crash scenario.

• Electronic locks can fail when the vehicle’s low-voltage systems are offline.
• Manual releases exist but are not intuitive or easily accessible during emergencies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an inquiry after receiving nine complaints; in four cases, owners reported having to break a window to exit the vehicle. Tesla’s owner manuals describe how to apply external power to revive electronic locks, but NHTSA noted complainants did not report low-voltage warnings and likely wouldn’t know the cause.

Design direction and possible fixes

Von Holzhausen suggested combining the electronic and manual functions into a single, more obvious control — a simple idea that could reduce confusion in emergencies. Other potential fixes automakers and regulators are considering include clearer labeling, illuminated or tactile manual releases, mechanical redundancies that don’t depend on vehicle power, and better alerts when low-voltage states affect entry systems.

• Combine electronic and mechanical release into an obvious single action.
• Add passive mechanical backups that work without electrical power.
• Improve user guidance and first-responder training so people know how to access manual releases quickly.

Why this matters beyond Tesla

China has already urged automakers to drop fully concealed handles for safety reasons, and regulators worldwide are watching. For fleets, municipalities, and safety agencies, these failures underscore a broader lesson: when convenience features depend on vehicle power or connectivity, designers must guarantee fail-safe manual options and clear recovery procedures.

Automakers can also use over-the-air updates to improve warnings and diagnostics, but hardware changes may be required to address root causes. Expect regulators to press for clearer standards and for carmakers to prioritize simple, human-centered redundancy over stylistic concealment.

QuarkyByte’s approach to these problems blends data-driven failure analysis, human-factor testing, and scenario simulation. We help organizations map likely rescue scenarios, prioritize low-cost mechanical fixes, and produce measurable emergency-access improvements that reduce rescue incidents and regulatory risk.

For OEMs and regulators, the takeaway is clear: elegant design must be married to robust emergency access. Tesla’s redesign signals movement in that direction, but companies should audit power-off scenarios, test genuine users under stress, and ensure mechanical backups are unmistakable and usable when seconds count.