Tesla is developing a redesign of its vehicle door handles following a U.S. federal probe into their reliability, Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen said in an interview on Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit podcast.
Currently, Tesla vehicles feature two ways to open doors from inside: an electronic button, which the company recommends for normal use, and a mechanical release intended for emergencies. While the front-seat mechanical release is easily accessible, the rear-seat release is located under a cover in the door pocket, making it less intuitive.
“The idea of combining the electronic one and the manual one together into one button, I think, makes a lot of sense,” von Holzhausen said. “That’s something that we’re working on,” he added, noting the change is aimed at easing exits during “a panic situation.” He also said Tesla is studying the design in China but gave no timeline for production.
The move follows criticism of Tesla’s electronic handles after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation this week into about 174,000 Model Y vehicles from the 2021 model year. The review was prompted by nine consumer complaints that doors failed to open after power loss, at times trapping children inside.
According to NHTSA, the probe will evaluate whether Tesla’s system for powering locks and latches is sufficiently reliable in emergencies. Some drivers have reported breaking windows to exit vehicles when electronic handles malfunctioned.