So Your Electronic Door Handle's Failed And You Want Out Of Your Car. Here's What To Do

Automakers are so into flush-fitting retractable electronic door handles these days that an increasing number of new cars come with them, whether you like it or not. Also, rather annoyingly, this trend toward motorized door releases is now replacing the old-fashioned yet reliable interior door pulls, albeit through buttons. Regardless of whether they are on the inside or outside, these motorized door handles require electricity and may not work after a crash, if the battery dies, or if the system malfunctions. While manual releases exist, they're not often the easiest to spot or use, especially during an emergency.

A bit like knowing where the fire extinguisher is in your house, even if you never have to use it, it's good to know exactly where the manual door mechanisms are located in your car ahead of any sort of panic situation. Your best bet is to go through the owner's manual, as approaches vary across brands. For instance, BMWs with electronic door latches typically have the manual release located near the storage pocket of the door. In contrast, the door release lever inside a C8 Corvette is floor-mounted, between the sills and doors. Like a door handle, you pull the release to exit the car. Typically, the manual release is some sort of latch or canvas strap, often with a photo of a car that has an open door.

What if you can't find the release and decide to break your way out of a car through the window? Unfortunately, breaking a car window from the inside is not that easy, especially if it's of the laminated variety. Tempered glass panels, on the other hand, are easier to break, but it still takes some special tools, and it's preferable to open the door to get out if you can. AAA recommends looking for manufacturing labels near the corner of the glass to distinguish between the two, but you may want to keep an emergency kit in your center console that includes a window-breaking tool just in case. 

With the rise in popularity of electronically controlled door handles, there's also a rise in backlash. Consumer Reports has received nearly 50,000 signatures for its petition "Automakers: Make Door Handles Safer," highlighting how many car owners are not necessarily fans of the design, reporting safety concerns and their general frustration with how these operate.

Tesla is perhaps the most infamous when it comes to flush door handle designs, taking the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Multiple fatalities have been reported in Teslas over the years because occupants inside or rescuers outside couldn't open the doors during an emergency. You may already know that China became the first country to ban flush-fitted door handles over such safety concerns.

U.S. Representative Robin Kelly introduced the SAFE Exit Act, which not only requires easy-to-find manual releases, but also a solution that allows emergency responders to access the passenger compartment from the outside. Worth noting, however, is that unlike China, the bill is not necessarily putting forward a ban on such door handle designs.

The NHTSA is also looking into developing a new federal safety rule in response to a petitioner that requested the agency mandate "a robust and obvious egress" mechanism on cars with electronic pop-out door handles. This circles back to the point that it's not necessarily just the need for a manual release, but rather the need for one that's intuitive and easy to find. Changes in the door handles, both inside and out, aren't likely to happen soon, so be sure to familiarize yourself with your car's manual exit procedure in the meantime.