China will require vehicles sold in the country to have mechanical exterior door handles that can be opened from either side, starting in 2027. The policy phases out flush, electrically powered retractable handles that sit flush with a car’s body and pop out when they detect a user. While such designs became popular for aesthetics and improved aerodynamics, regulators say they can pose safety risks if the mechanism fails after a crash or during a battery failure.
Reporting and official investigations have documented cases in which electronic exterior handles became inoperable after collisions, forcing rescuers to break windows to reach occupants. A Bloomberg investigation highlighted instances of Tesla exterior handles failing to open and linked several deaths to situations where people could not exit vehicles. Tesla has said it is redesigning its handles.
U.S. regulators have also moved on the issue: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened probes into reports that 2021 Tesla Model Y exterior door handles failed, has examined related problems in other models such as the Dodge Journey, and in past cases has influenced recalls tied to electronic-handle defects.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the new rules are intended to address what it called inconvenient operation of exterior door handles and the inability to open them after an accident. For interior handles, the ministry requires visible, mechanical releases that are not obstructed by other parts of the vehicle. Regulators cited examples where manual releases are hard to find in emergencies; some Tesla models require removing a speaker cover and pulling a cable to manually open rear doors.
The regulation will apply to vehicles sold in China, meaning global automakers that sell there must redesign affected models to meet the new standard. It does not directly change U.S. regulations. Most cars in the Chinese market are produced locally, and U.S. import restrictions and tariffs limit the presence of Chinese-built vehicles in America.
Pressure to address electronic-handle safety has grown elsewhere. Consumer Reports notes many brands, including Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati and Volvo, use some form of electronic door handles on some models. In the U.S., lawmakers have proposed legislation that would require fail-safe manual interior releases and ways for rescue workers to access vehicles from the outside.
Chinese regulators framed the change as a public safety measure aimed at ensuring doors remain operable during crashes, fires and other emergencies, responding to high-profile incidents, investigative reporting and public concern.