China is considering the possibility of banning retractable car door handles. Yes, those that make the body look perfect and “clean.” But even though they look beautiful on the doors and give an amazing finish, there is more and more evidence (and quite serious real cases) showing that these mechanisms, although they are gorgeous, fail when they are needed the most. In accidents, in vehicle fires… Do we want safety or do we want beauty? China is already thinking about the answer.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has already published a preliminary draft that could become law in 2027. The idea is simple: even if the car has electric handles, the door must always be able to open, even without power, no discussion. This proposal comes after several incidents in which cars with retractable handles could not be opened from the outside, and it has not only happened in China… It is happening in many places around the world. The result is lawsuits, investigations, and an industry that is starting to understand that maybe it went too far in perfecting design and completely forgot that a car’s first duty is to be safe for its occupants.
China takes the first step
The Chinese government has spent months reviewing the operation of these electric handles, especially in side impacts. And the figures published by the MIIT were terrifying, because retractable handles only work in 67% of tests, compared with 98% reliability in traditional mechanical handles… Of course, seeing these numbers, it is normal that all alarms have gone off. Doors must open, whether there is electricity or not.
What is happening with electric handles?
They depend completely on sensors, motors, and power. And now, think about a critical situation (an accident, a crash, a fire or a simple short circuit), it means the vehicle cannot be opened from the outside and can even end in tragedy.
One of the most talked-about cases occurred in the U.S., when a burning Tesla Cybertruck could not have its doors opened from the outside, and the people were trapped inside the vehicle… The family sued the company claiming that the design prevented the rescue.
The problems with minimalism
And yes, even if they look cool, they are not safe. It is okay to accept it, futuristic designs are sometimes pretty, stylish… but when something puts our safety inside a vehicle at risk, some things need to be reconsidered.
- In very cold areas, there are reports of completely frozen handles.
- In China, several models suffered short circuits due to rain.
And about money?
Well, good luck. Replacing one of these handles can cost up to 1,000 dollars, and there are owners who have had to replace them six or seven times… It is a money issue, yes, but it is even more a safety issue.
They are not alone
The German Automobile Club and United Nations experts have also warned about these problems because, as we said, many deaths have been caused by not being able to exit crashed vehicles.
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen, has also taken a position in this debate and accepts that these handles do not work.
From Tesla’s side, it seems they are also changing the design of the handles for their upcoming vehicles (not surprising… considering their history).
What would happen if China banned them?
A domino effect is expected. If they are not safe, other markets will not take long to ban and modify them either. Cars must always be safe, regardless of whether they are pretty.
“ALL door handles should never retract, be mechanically operated inside and out and the outside handle must ‘handle’ a minimum of 250lbs of pull force so that emergency workers have some ability to open a sticky door in the event of a crash” said an user.
