@NHTSA looking into Tesla door handles — now look into ALL electronic latches!!!

Electronic latches

Just a week or so after finding that China is rumored to be considering a ban on electronic latches (door handles), particularly those that conceal themselves (flush handles), comes news from Reuters that the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) is investigating possible door handle issues in over 170,000 Tesla Model Ys.

And we will call on them to expand this probe to all electronic latches in models from at least 10 manufacturers!

The rest of this piece will read like a repeat of what is upwards of a half dozen posts regarding the nightmare that is electronic latches. We have railed on this issue since a man in Texas died in the heat unable to get out of his Corvette.

Which is to say that this issue is in no way confined to electric vehicles and certainly not to Tesla. Although it can be argued that the attention Tesla received after the introduction of the Model S is largely responsible for the increase in the use of not only flush door handles, but the spread of electronic latches.

Ultimately these latches come with a mechanical back-up which, to our minds, renders the use of electronics completely pointless!

And the focus on flush handles is a distraction from the broader problem.

That problem? What is the back-up to get out in the event of a power failure? What is the back-up to get inside?? Either scenario carries large potential danger to the driving public.

And, if this travesty is to continue, where is the standardization???

For the record, there are back-up exit releases behind speakers (Model X), under seats (Model S) (right), on the floor (GM Coupes) (near right), and in door panels (BMW, Dodge, Fisker, Lincoln, Fiat, Maserati). (We have Volvo to add).

And while they share a common, broadly speaking, general location, there are large implementation variations in that last group.

We continue to give a nod to Audi, who uses a back-up exit that is beautifully human. Should the interior door handle not release the door, pulling it harder activates the mechanical back-up. This connects directly to a very common human reaction to something not working — pull harder!

Very intuitive, and not something we can say about any of the other manufacturers. And yet, it still requires the company to wastefully implement a redundant system.

The bottom line is that we would like to see NHTSA put a ban on electronic latches, period. They are nothing more than a toy for the manufacturer’s gratification.

Our get-out page is here and our video can be seen here.

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