NHTSA Starts Vehicle-Exit Rulemaking After 9 Tesla Door-Handle Entrapment Reports
Updated
Updated · Seeking Alpha · Jul 23
NHTSA Starts Vehicle-Exit Rulemaking After 9 Tesla Door-Handle Entrapment Reports
3 articles · Updated · Seeking Alpha · Jul 23
Summary
NHTSA said it will begin rulemaking on vehicle-exit safety requirements after incidents, including fatal ones, left occupants trapped in cars with flush electronic door handles.
The move answers a petition targeting the 2022 Tesla Model 3’s emergency mechanical door release, but the agency rejected a defect probe and said broader rulemaking was the better path.
A new standard, if adopted, would apply across the auto industry, though NHTSA stressed that starting rulemaking does not guarantee a final rule.
The decision follows a Tesla door-handle investigation opened less than a year ago after 9 reports of owners unable to enter their cars, sometimes with children inside, and findings that low battery voltage could disable electronic locks.