It shouldn’t be complicated to open your car door during a vehicle fire or other emergency. But for some new vehicles with electronic door handles, you might need to study your owner’s manual just to get out of your car if the vehicle loses electrical power. And with reports of people being trapped in their vehicles – some with deadly consequences – it’s time to change this poor door latch design.
Join Consumer Reports in calling on automakers to fix this problem by providing intuitive, accessible, and easy-to-find manual door releases on all vehicles so no one is trapped in their car during an emergency.
Petition to Automakers:
We are calling on your company, and all automakers, to make electronic door handles safer. Recent news reports, crashes, and preventable fatalities highlight the importance of addressing this issue.
No one should die because they were trapped in their car in an otherwise survivable emergency. The door handles in all vehicles you produce should include intuitive, accessible, easy-to-find, and power-independent manual releases for every side door, with labeling and information requirements to help occupants and rescuers locate and use them quickly.