China moves to ban feature commonly seen on Tesla vehicles over fear of trapped passengers

China has moved to ban one of the most iconic Tesla vehicle features in order to get a handle on vehicle safety.

New safety regulations published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology state that cars sold in China will be required to have mechanical releases on their door handles, according to TechCrunch. The outlet added that the rules, which go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027, will ban hidden, electronically activated door handles. 

Under the new rules, each vehicle door, except for the tailgate, will need to be equipped with a manually-released external door handle and vehicles will be required to have a mechanical release on the interior, TechCrunch reported.

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China is the first country to implement such a ban. While the feature was made popular with Teslas, Chinese competitors, including Xiaomi, have adopted the design, according to Reuters.

The ruling followed high-profile incidents in which power failures were suspected to have prevented the doors from opening, leaving people trapped and unable to escape or be rescued, Bloomberg reported. The outlet said that two of the incidents included fiery crashes involving Xiaomi Corp. EVs.

"China is shifting from being just the largest EV market to being a rule-setter for how new vehicle technologies are regulated," Bill Russo, founder of Shanghai-based consultancy Automobility, told Bloomberg. "By moving first, Beijing can use its huge domestic market to lock in safety standards that both Chinese and foreign automakers must follow at home — and that may ultimately travel with Chinese EV exports and influence global norms."

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In December, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), which is under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), opened a defect probe into the Tesla Model 3 sedan's emergency door release controls, Reuters reported. The investigation reportedly included approximately 179,071 model year 2022 vehicles.

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Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 206 lays out requirements for vehicle door locks and door retention components to help prevent occupants from being ejected during a crash. 

A representative for NHTSA pointed out to FOX Business that while FMVSS No. 206 does not have specific requirements mandating a manual door release if power is lost, failing to provide a reasonable way for occupants to enter or exit a vehicle could be considered a safety defect and lead to a recall. However, the opening of a defect petition does not automatically mean that a recall will be issued.

FOX Business reached out to Tesla and Xiaomi for comment.