Tesla Considers Door Handle Redesign After Reports of Passengers Trapped in Burning Cars

Tesla is exploring a redesign of its car door mechanisms following multiple incidents where passengers were reportedly trapped inside vehicles during emergencies, including fires, due to rescuers being unable to open the doors.

The move comes after a Bloomberg investigation uncovered 140 reported cases of people being trapped inside Teslas because of door handle malfunctions, several of which led to severe injuries and fatalities. In some cases, emergency responders were unable to access the vehicles quickly, leading to passengers being caught in post-crash fires.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has also launched its own investigation, citing complaints from Tesla owners. Some owners reported having to break their own car windows to reach children who were locked inside after the vehicle’s electronic door system failed.

Speaking on Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit! podcast on Wednesday, Tesla’s design chief Franz von Holzhausen revealed that the company is developing a new unified release mechanism to make emergency exits faster and more 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.”

Currently, Tesla vehicles rely on separate electronic and manual systems. In the Model S and Model X, the door handles extend and retract automatically, while the Model 3 and Model Y feature mechanical handles that flip out when pressed. If the electronic system fails – for instance, after a loss of power in a crash – passengers must locate a manual release inside the vehicle to exit.

However, the manual release buttons are often hard to find, especially for children or passengers unfamiliar with the car, creating dangerous delays during emergencies.

It remains unclear whether Tesla’s planned fix will be rolled out across existing vehicles or limited to future models. Industry experts note that retrofitting older cars with a new integrated system would be challenging.

The reports have renewed scrutiny of Tesla’s design priorities, raising questions about balancing sleek aesthetics with safety in high-stakes situations.