US to Begin Work on New Car Door Safety Rules After Deaths in Teslas

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it will start developing new safety regulations for car doors, prompted by a series of deaths involving Tesla vehicles where occupants were unable to escape due to electronic door handles. The decision follows investigations into incidents where people died in Tesla crashes because the doors could not be opened from inside after the battery was damaged.

These rules will affect all automakers, but the immediate focus is on Tesla’s flush, electronic door handles that require power to operate. In several crashes, first responders reported difficulty opening the doors to rescue trapped occupants. The NHTSA’s move aims to prevent similar tragedies by ensuring doors can be manually opened in emergencies, regardless of electrical failure.

The agency cited at least five deaths in Tesla vehicles since 2019 where door-related issues were a factor. One high-profile case occurred in 2021 when a Tesla driver died in a crash in Texas; firefighters struggled to open the doors because the handles did not pop out. Another incident in 2022 involved a Tesla that caught fire after a crash, and the driver was unable to exit because the electronic door release failed.

NHTSA has not yet proposed specific rule language or a timeline for completion. The agency said it will gather data from automakers and safety experts before drafting requirements. This marks a shift from previous decades when door safety rules focused on crashworthiness and latch strength, not emergency egress.

Automakers are expected to face pressure to redesign door systems if the rules require manual override mechanisms. Tesla has already updated some models with a manual release cable hidden near the window switch, but critics say it is not intuitive. The NHTSA’s rulemaking could mandate that all vehicles have a clearly marked, easy-to-use mechanical door release.

The agency’s announcement comes as part of a broader regulatory push on vehicle safety, including rules for automated driving systems and battery fire risks. Industry observers expect proposed rules within a year, with final standards possibly taking two to three years to implement.