On July 23, 2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency responsible for car safety, said it will start developing new rules to make sure people can always get out of their cars. The announcement follows a series of incidents, some fatal, in which people were trapped inside vehicles that use electronic door handles — the kind that sit flat against the car body and open with an electric switch rather than a regular pull handle, as seen on Tesla vehicles (TechCrunch).

The news was first reported by Bloomberg. NHTSA acted in response to a petition — a formal request — asking the agency to investigate whether the backup mechanical release on 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles meets federal safety standards. The backup release is a hidden lever or pull that is supposed to let you open the door by hand if the electronics fail (TechCrunch; Federal Register).

NHTSA denied the request for a defect investigation, saying the issue would be better solved by writing new rules than by investigating one car model. The agency also cautioned that starting the rulemaking process does not guarantee any new rules will actually be adopted (TechCrunch; Federal Register).

The concern has been building for a while. In September 2025, NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla's door handles after nine owners of 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles reported they could not get into their cars, in some cases with children still inside. That investigation covers about 174,000 Model Y vehicles (Reuters).

NHTSA's early findings showed that the manual door releases on Tesla vehicles may not work if the car's battery does not provide enough power to the electronic door locks. Because Tesla places its manual release levers only inside the car, there are fewer ways to get out when the electronic system stops working (TechCrunch).

Lawmakers and lawyers have also taken notice. In January 2026, Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois introduced a bill to set vehicle door safety guidelines, naming Tesla's door handles specifically (AutoEvolution). In March 2026, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed claiming a safety defect in the door handles of certain 2023-2026 Tesla Model S vehicles (Yahoo Autos).

The car companies themselves have acknowledged the problem. Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen said in 2025 that the company is working on a redesign of its door handles. Rivian, another electric vehicle maker, said in 2025 that it would change the interior door handle design on its R2 SUV so the manual release is easier to see and closer to the electric handle (TechCrunch).

The core problem is not complicated, even if the fix is. Think of it this way: if your house had an electronic lock on the front door, you would still want a regular key as a backup. Flush electronic door handles look sleek and help the car move through the air more smoothly, but they rely on the car's electrical system to open the door. When that system fails and the backup lever is hard to find or also depends on battery power, the margin for getting out safely shrinks in exactly the moments when it matters most. NHTSA's decision to write rules rather than investigate a single model suggests the agency sees this as an industry-wide design issue, not just a Tesla problem.

What any final rule might cover is unknown. NHTSA was clear that starting the process does not mean rules will definitely follow. The process will play out over a timeline the agency has not yet shared, and automakers, safety advocates, and everyday drivers will likely all weigh in on where the balance should sit between design freedom and the basic ability to get out of a car. As more car functions shift from mechanical parts to electronic controls, what comes of this process could set a precedent that reaches well beyond door handles.