The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday it will start the formal process of creating new federal requirements intended to ensure drivers and passengers can safely exit their vehicles. The agency granted a petition that asked it to "mandate a robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles," according to a regulatory filing.
The rulemaking, if ultimately adopted, would apply to all new vehicles sold in the United States. The move responds to reported incidents in which occupants became trapped inside cars that used flush, electrically operated door handles or other electronic release systems and then lost power, including after crashes.
Vehicles equipped with such flush, electrically operated handles, including models from Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and other automakers, have been linked to cases where occupants were unable to exit after the vehicle lost power. In several of those incidents, occupants of Tesla vehicles survived the initial high-speed impact but either died or suffered serious injuries from fires after being unable to leave the vehicle.
The regulatory action follows a petition submitted in November by a Silicon Valley engineer who asked NHTSA to issue new federal safety standards specifically to address the risks posed by electronic or "hidden" door latching and release systems. The petitioner described the change as necessary to "address a critical, life-threatening safety gap" created by those systems, which the filing said are common on electric vehicles.
NHTSA's filing confirms it has granted the petition and will begin the rulemaking process. The agency noted, however, that designs for door handles and egress systems are unlikely to change in the immediate term. Any decision to impose new requirements will be based on information developed during the rulemaking, and the process to craft and finalize a federal safety standard can take years.
The filing also acknowledged that industry stakeholders frequently resist new safety mandates that could add costs to vehicle designs and manufacturing. As a result, even with the petition granted and rulemaking underway, the timeline to any mandatory change remains uncertain and subject to the outcomes of the regulatory process.
Clear summary
NHTSA has accepted a petition and will begin developing potential federal rules to require obvious, robust door egress systems in U.S. vehicles after incidents in which occupants were trapped when electronic or flush door releases lost power. The petition, filed in November by an engineer, highlights risks associated with electronic and hidden latching systems commonly found on electric vehicles, and cites specific cases involving vehicles with flush, electrically operated handles, including Tesla models.
Key points
- NHTSA has granted a petition and opened rulemaking to consider requiring clear, reliable door egress systems for all new U.S. vehicles.
- Flush, electrically operated door handles on some vehicles, including Tesla models, have been implicated in incidents where occupants were trapped after power loss, sometimes with fatal consequences from post-crash fires.
- The rulemaking process can take years and may face industry pushback due to potential added costs; any final requirements will depend on the information developed during the process.
Risks and uncertainties
- Timing uncertainty - Developing and finalizing a federal safety rule is often a multi-year process, so any mandated changes to door systems are not imminent.
- Industry resistance - Automakers may oppose new mandates that increase design or manufacturing costs, potentially affecting the scope and timing of any final rule.
- Scope of change - It remains unclear from the filing precisely which technical solutions, if any, would satisfy the petition's call for a "robust and obvious" egress system; outcomes will depend on information gathered during rulemaking.