this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2026
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China is banning hidden door handles on all cars sold in the country, becoming the first country in the world to target the feature – which was popularized by Tesla but has for years drawn concern over safety risks.

The feature has previously come under heavy scrutiny, both in China and elsewhere.

Last September, Tesla said it was looking into redesigning the way to open its car doors in an emergency, after several accidents where passengers were reportedly killed or severely injured in burning vehicles because rescuers could not open them.

Other Tesla owners have reported having to break their own car windows after buckling their children in and then being unable to get in the car again, according to an investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

An investigation by Bloomberg found 140 incidents of people being trapped in their Teslas due to problems with the door handles, including several that resulted in horrific injuries.

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[–] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 29 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
[–] aquovie@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 hours ago

We've all become desensitized automotive death. They're like children dying in schools. *scroll* *scroll* next story. next dopamine hit.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 4 points 2 hours ago

Heh-heh, now China is just fucking with Tesla.

[–] NullPointerException@lemmy.ca 59 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I don’t know much about this, but in my understanding, it’s not that the handle hides in the door, but the fact that the latch inside is electronic. Using a mechanical latch that will work even without any electrical power would solve the problem.

[–] darkdemize@sh.itjust.works 43 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

It's both. The electric latch can trap occupants inside the vehicle, and the external handles make it difficult for rescuers to quickly access anyone trapped inside.

[–] kungen@feddit.nu 1 points 3 hours ago (3 children)

How do rescuers get into the car via the handle when it's locked? Or are cars supposed to unlock upon failure/crashes?

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 2 hours ago

Nobody wants to rescue anyone in a burning SwastiKKKar.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

This is the point Lemmy fails to grasp. All cars autolock when moving to keep kids from falling out the back doors. Whether the door handle is exposed or not is irrelevant. In case of crash, EMTs punch out the windows anyway.

[–] MBech@feddit.dk 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

I have never been in a car that locked the doors from the inside with the autolock. Locking the doors from the inside usually requires activation of the child locks, which can usually be accessed on the door when it is opened. The autolocks only lock the doors from the outside, so any would-be car thieves or nosy firemen can't get in.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 hours ago

One is definitely way worse than the other though.

The flush handles on a model 3 are annoying in ice but the situations in which you desperately need into a car seem less likely than the situations where you need out but can't find the stupid pull tab that's hidden under plastic.

[–] goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org 7 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

@MicroWave good. The door handle did not need disrupting

[–] Magister@lemmy.world 8 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

How can it has been approved first? in case of crash and battery disconnect for whatever reason, you are trapped in the car, cannot get in cannot get out‽‽‽

Also I'd like to know after let's say 10 years, how many kWh did you save thanks to that?

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 14 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

So, the flush handles actually save a lot.

The thing is, there’s purely mechanical ways of solving the problem. Including a hinge set somewhere towards the middle- so you push one side in, and the other angled out so you can open it.

Not the most convenient, but it’s less inconvenient than an over engineered piece of shit that breaks every winter.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 hours ago

They do not “save a lot” It’s purely a marketing gimmick.

[–] thejml@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 hours ago

Last time I got on a coworker's Tesler, thats how they worked. Push the large part in with your thumb and the handle pops out. Curl your fingers around it and pull.

The thing I thought of later was "that made sene to me, who grew up in the 70's/80's/90's with handles that had a button you push in with your thumb. No kid knows that anymore."

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca -4 points 2 hours ago

in case of crash and battery disconnect for whatever reason, you are trapped in the car, cannot get in cannot get out‽‽‽

You can get out using a manual pull.

But Americans don't read manuals.

[–] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Iirc there’s a panel you can remove to pull the patch cable manually, which is how they try to explain this being ok

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 19 points 7 hours ago (4 children)

Yeah, all you need is a small toolkit, five minutes, and a cool head - perfect for an emergency

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 hours ago

Also you need to know about this and find it first. Try doing that in the middle of the night, on a car that has been deformed by a crash, and is on fire.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

All you need is to read the manual.

I get the hate for Musk, but this is all being driven by US ambulance chasers in a class action. Remember when only cars sold in America has "sudden acceleration"?

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Right, I read and memorize all 768 pages of the manual of every since car I rent.

[–] aramis87@fedia.io 6 points 6 hours ago

A small toolkit that didn't get yeeted around the car when you had your accident.

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

And whennyou actually need rescuing, e.g. with a compund fracture or are pinned behind some twisted metal. Sounds like an elon idea, indeed.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 12 points 6 hours ago

If you incinerate all of the victims, they can't leave bad reviews!

[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 10 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

This is why Tesla has been a mixed bag. They have made some smart choices and they have made some not so smart choices. Unfortunately, because they essentially are the EV market in America, all other companies looking to bring EVs to the market have copied Tesla in many ways, both the good and the bad. I think that's at least part of the reason why the EV market is suffering right now.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 33 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

People shouldn't buy Tesla because a) their cars are garbage and dangerous, and b) their owner is a Nazi. Have a good day, y'all!

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

a) their cars are garbage and dangerous, and b) the owner of the company is a Nazi.

also c) the owner is a pedophile who frequented Epstein Island.

Anyways, this will all be moot in a few years, Tesla is getting out of cars and shifting to robot butler sex robots.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Moot? b) and c) are surely timeless crimes.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 11 points 7 hours ago

A.2, overpriced!

[–] tyler@programming.dev 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Name one of their smart choices.

[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

The plug they came up with, that eventually became the NAC standard. Technology Connections did a video about it, and he is no Tesla fan, I assure you of that.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago

But Teslas still work at only 400V, while the rest of the industry is up to 800V.

[–] Akh@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

I love the Audi e-tron. Feels sturdy like an audi, no stupid gimmicks like disappearing handles.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 hours ago

But it's an AUDI, so it will fall apart 11 seconds after the lease is up.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 hours ago

Do you own one?

I test drove one (Bolt Drive rental lol) and it was honestly a bit less smooth on the road than my 2007 A6 Allroad. The performance was amazing (even though it was the lower power version I believe), but due to the hefty weight it seems the suspension is compromised. But since it wasn't brand new, I also don't know how good a shape it was in. IIRC it was on air suspension, so it should've been better than steel springs.

Buuuuut with the prices they have dropped down to, they're also god damn enticing these days! And 300 kilowatts is a ridiculous amount of power lol. The downside of course being that a brand new battery off Audi is twice the value of the car if it goes bad lol. But EV battery repair shops are starting to be a thing here, so that might make replacing single cells a very affordable option.

[–] madjo@piefed.social 1 points 6 hours ago

I wish I could turn that “feature” off on my Renault Scenic. It’s very annoying and feels very unsafe, even though Renault has added a way to open the door handles, the way you have to do that is very counterintuitive. If it weren’t a leased car, I’d remove those flaps next to the door handles myself.