China announces world's first ban on hidden car door handles

[Electric car keyless door handle]
Hiroko Yoshida /iStock via Getty Images

China has banned hidden electronic door handles on cars, making it the first country to outlaw the design popularized by Tesla (TSLA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TSLA]).

Cars sold in China must be equipped with mechanically released exterior and interior door handles, excluding the tailgate, according to new safety rules issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The rules will be effective starting Jan. 1, 2027. Vehicle models that already received regulatory approval must comply with the new rules by Jan. 1, 2029.

The new rules [https://www.miit.gov.cn/jgsj/zbys/gzdt/art/2026/art_61a17f0b942d4aa4b1259cbff5a53eb2.html] come after two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi (XIACY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XIACY]) (XIACF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XIACF]) electric vehicles, where power failures are suspected to have prevented doors from opening, trapping people inside.

In the U.S., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received over 140 consumer complaints related to Tesla's (TSLA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TSLA]) doors getting stuck, not opening or otherwise malfunctioning since 2018, _Bloomberg _reported [https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-tesla-dangerous-doors/] last year.

At the time, the NHTSA said it was in communication with Tesla (TSLA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TSLA]) to gather data and determine whether a full probe was warranted. Most Tesla vehicles have a manual door release in case the regular handles fail.

In Germany, a man and two children reportedly [https://www.20min.ch/story/deutschland-mann-und-kinder-verbrennen-im-tesla-tuer-liess-sich-nicht-oeffnen-103416869] burned to death last year after the Tesla (TSLA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TSLA]) vehicle they were in crashed and caught fire, trapping the passengers in the car.

European regulators are also considering stricter rules to regulate electric car door handles.

MORE ON TESLA

* Tesla: A Musk Empire Is The Latest Upside Catalyst [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4864948-tesla-a-musk-empire-is-the-latest-upside-catalyst]
* Tesla's $20b Bet Forces A Rethink - Moving From Sell To Hold [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4864941-teslas-20b-bet-forces-a-rethink-moving-from-sell-to-hold]
* Tesla Q4 Earnings: My CliffsNotes On 200+ P/E And Record CapEx [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4864896-tesla-q4-earnings-my-cliffsnotes-on-200-plus-pe-and-record-capex]
* California Governor Newsom floats $200M rebate plan for Tesla, EV industry [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4545913-california-governor-newsom-floats-200m-rebate-plan-for-tesla-ev-industry]