US lawmakers agreed to advance an automotive safety bill that would require manual releases in new vehicles with electrically powered door handles, bringing the measure that could impact designs popularized by Tesla Inc. a step closer to becoming law.
The Securing Accessible Functional Emergency Exit Act, or SAFE Exit Act, was forwarded to full committee during a markup session Tuesday by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It still has to pass a number of legislative hurdles and may not be ultimately signed into law.
The bill, introduced last month by Representative Robin Kelly, an Illinois Democrat, aims to address safety concerns following numerous incidents in which people were injured or died after they became trapped inside a vehicle with electric handles that stopped functioning.
Bloomberg News has reported extensively on the modern door systems, including an investigation that found at least 15 deaths in a dozen incidents where occupants or rescuers couldn’t open the doors of a Tesla that crashed and caught fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation in September into whether the doors are defective in certain Tesla Model Y SUVs, and in December opened a probe into emergency releases in Tesla Model 3 vehicles.
“People are dying right now,” Michigan Representative Debbie Dingell said during the Tuesday House session. “As more vehicles rely on electronic door latches, we have to make sure there’s always a clear manual backup when these systems fail.”
The new bill would require cars with electric door systems to have a clearly labeled and readily accessible mechanical latch that is intuitive to use. It also calls for a means for first responders to be able to access vehicles that have lost battery power.
Kelly warned that the US is falling behind on the issue of door safety compared to China and the European Union. China recently passed a bill banning concealed door handles, the first country to outlaw the design.
Florida Congressman Gus Bilirakis said he agreed with the intent of the legislation, but argued it should allow safety experts to conduct research to set smart and flexible standards to avoid unintended consequences.
Photo: Tesla was a pioneer of electrically controlled doors and flush handles. Photographer: Travis Dove/Bloomberg
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
Topics
USA
Auto
Interested in Auto?
Get automatic alerts for this topic.
