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Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

cnn.com

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Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#31

Post by kstrauser »

3D30497420 wrote: post #15
pengaru wrote: post #7

Electric retractable door handles is such a stupid gimmick. I once pulled over to help a stranded Model S driver with a flat tire in the Mojave desert. Every door handle had a zip tie hanging off it because they _all_ had failed present mechanisms. Junk

Apparently non-retractable door handles have only a very minor impact on drag/efficiency: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/09/flush-door-handles-are-... So, yes, I think you're right that they are largely just a gimmick.

If you're driving in a competitive, sanctioned high-speed race, sure, fine. Save every bit of drag possible. At highway speeds in a normal-person shaped vehicle, they cannot possibly make a measurable difference.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#32

Post by dgarrett »

mtlynch wrote: post #23

I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such as after a collision). In the front, there's a manual release in the front seat that's accessible if you know where to look, but would be easy to miss in an emergency. In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to…

> In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to pull out a floor mat and then pop open a panel that requires a metal tool to extract, and then reach blindly into a hole to pull the release. And this process damages the car, so you can't really practice in a non-emergency.

Just so you know, this is improved the latest (2023+) Model 3. There is now an easily removable panel in the door pocket, with a yellow cable to release the latch.[0]

I still hope they improve the mechanism to not require this, but they did at least improve it a bit in the latest model.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jhCz12SKM

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#33

Post by PaulHoule »

wyre wrote: post #30
_fat_santa wrote: post #22

Just to share a personal anecdote. The other day me and my wife were getting into an Uber that was a Model 3 and she said to me "I don't know how this door works, can you open it for me". Sure they are not that hard to figure out but something like door handles shouldn't be something to "figure out" at all, it should be immediately obvious how to open the vehicle. Beyond that I just dislike electronic door handles in…

I find public transit will often use electric doors, but they will also have ways to open the door or window manually in the case of an emergency which seems like the best middleground. That said, when has a door handle ever been a major point of failure in a personal automobile? Electric door handles on cars for less wear is a bad argument, imo. My internal skeptic says Tesla saves as much money as they can on door…

Often the emergency door mechanisms are very well labeled on public transit —- riding a train I know right away how to stop the train and get the hell out.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#34

Post by bangaladore »

fullshark wrote: post #26

Ever since reading this story I decided I wasn't buying a Tesla: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68622898 Just so stupid, how many unnecessary deaths in Teslas have there been because of the overengineered crap door handles? Really tragic and pointless.

She was highly intoxicated and driving under the influence, reversed the car into a pond and died because of it. Whether or not the doors contributed to her death is a guess at best. When a car is submerged, you aren't able to open a door generally due to the weight of the water pushing in on the car. That car has a completely standard gear stalk as well, so blaming it on that make no sense.

I don't have sympathy for those who DWI. Luckily, she didn't kill anyone else.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#35

Post by rightbyte »

mtlynch wrote: post #23

I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such as after a collision). In the front, there's a manual release in the front seat that's accessible if you know where to look, but would be easy to miss in an emergency. In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to…

> I couldn't believe I was actually understanding it correctly and that this could be legal

I think laws are usually reactive. Why would there be a ban on such a silly thing.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#36

Post by ashton314 »

dgarrett wrote: post #32
mtlynch wrote: post #23

I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such as after a collision). In the front, there's a manual release in the front seat that's accessible if you know where to look, but would be easy to miss in an emergency. In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to…

> In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to pull out a floor mat and then pop open a panel that requires a metal tool to extract, and then reach blindly into a hole to pull the release. And this process damages the car, so you can't really practice in a non-emergency. Just so you know, this is improved the latest (2023+) Model 3. There is now an easily removable pan…

Well, they put a sign on the trash can that says “this is in fact on fire” so you know that they’re aware it’s a dumpster fire.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#37

Post by lawlessone »

mtlynch wrote: post #23

I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such as after a collision). In the front, there's a manual release in the front seat that's accessible if you know where to look, but would be easy to miss in an emergency. In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to…

>as if they hopped into a 747.

I think escaping the 747 is , thankfully for those who fly , easier.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#38

Post by mediaman »

kennywinker wrote: post #11

This is a failure of regulation. Companies come and go. The idea is that we have simple, efficient, long lasting gov orgs that can make sure each new company doesn’t repeat moronic mistakes like this in the name of design.

The funny thing is that Elon has been very critical of regulation in car design, such as the rules around the side-view mirrors (he wanted to get rid of them and replace with cameras).

But then they find something unregulated and manage to flub it so badly it makes a strong case for regulation.

I'm not sure if Elon was involved in these door handles on the interior, though I do recall he was very involved in the early touch-to-expose exterior handles and insisted they use them despite internal engineering pushback. I think a lot of the bad engineering designs seem to originate from internal engineers getting overruled by Elon.

Re: Tesla is looking to redesign its door handles following trapped-passenger report

#40

Post by _da_ »

dgarrett wrote: post #32
mtlynch wrote: post #23

I considered buying a Model 3 but the door handles were the dealbreaker for me. The standard door handles don't work if the vehicle has a loss of power (such as after a collision). In the front, there's a manual release in the front seat that's accessible if you know where to look, but would be easy to miss in an emergency. In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to…

> In the rear, it's almost impossible to access the manual release in an emergency. You have to pull out a floor mat and then pop open a panel that requires a metal tool to extract, and then reach blindly into a hole to pull the release. And this process damages the car, so you can't really practice in a non-emergency. Just so you know, this is improved the latest (2023+) Model 3. There is now an easily removable pan…

The Y also has the redesigned release (from the beginning, afaik).
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