A Tesla Model S door. (Graham Hughes/Bloomberg)
key takeaways:
- U.S. auto safety regulators will begin developing new requirements to ensure that drivers and passengers can safely exit their vehicles, an important step toward addressing issues highlighted by sometimes fatal incidents in which people become trapped inside cars.
- The move follows incidents involving electrically operated door handles, including Tesla crashes where occupants or rescuers reportedly could not open the doors after a loss of power.
- NHTSA will evaluate potential requirements during rulemaking, while lawmakers and safety advocates will continue to push for manual release and first-responder access standards.
U.S. auto safety regulators will begin developing new requirements to ensure that drivers and passengers can safely exit their vehicles, an important step toward addressing problems arising from sometimes fatal incidents in which people become trapped inside cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on July 23 that it would begin the process of implementing a new federal rule, granting the petitioner’s request, stating that the agency would “mandate a strong and clear door exhaust system in all motor vehicles”. regulatory filing. If finalized, all new vehicles in the US would be subject to any new requirements.
Read more: Tesla to shift self-driving focus to trucks in 2027
Vehicles designed with flush, electrically operated door handles made by Tesla Inc. and other carmakers have been involved in a series of incidents in which occupants have been trapped inside their cars after the vehicles lost power, including after a crash. In several instances, occupants of Tesla vehicles survived the initial impact of a high-speed crash, but died or were seriously injured by the subsequent fire after being unable to exit.
Bloomberg News has reported extensively on modern door systems, revealing at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents in which occupants or rescuers were unable to open the doors of a crashed Tesla and it caught fire. Bloomberg also reported late last year that CEO Elon Musk had pushed for electric doors even after potential security concerns were raised internally.
Presented by a Silicon Valley engineer petition In November, NHTSA was asked to issue new federal safety standards to address the safety risks the agency faces. Action is needed to “address a significant, life-threatening safety gap” posed by electronic or “hidden” door latching and release systems, which are common on electric vehicles, the petitioners wrote.
I introduced the SAFE EXIT Act tonight to require the first federal standard for electric car doors. This requires manual door releases with labeling and better access for first responders so people can always get out in an emergency.
Read more: https://t.co/B9QsFDpMuH
– Robin Kelly (@RepRobinKelly) 7 January 2026
NHTSA said in a July 23 filing that it had accepted the petition and would begin the rulemaking process. The decision came in a filing that also rejected a separate petitioner’s request for a security flaw investigation. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
“It’s very important that they’re going to begin the rulemaking process, because this is the initial step that needs to be taken to create or revise federal motor vehicle safety standards to strengthen areas related to electric doors and exhaust,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety. But given how long the process can take, “I would not expect to see a final compliance date for manufacturers before 2030, even if the rulemaking process moves quickly.”
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The agency said it will decide whether to implement new requirements based on information developed during the rulemaking process. A new rule can take years to develop and finalize, and the industry often opposes new safety orders that impose additional costs.
Nevertheless, this decision adds to the growing impact on incidents involving electric door handles. Representative Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) introduced legislation New cars starting this year will be required to have manual door releases to give first responders a means to gain access to vehicles if power goes out.
NHTSA began investigating defects in some Tesla Model Y vehicles in September after receiving multiple complaints of children trapped in the vehicles.
