FEARS are mounting over modern hidden door handles – following a spate of passenger deaths linked to the futuristic mechanisms.
It comes after electric car giant Tesla was hit by a United Nations safety warning over its controversial stylised handle mechanics.
Experts have warned the hidden handles – which sit inside and aligned with many Tesla models‘ doors – may not open following an accident if a battery-powered car loses power.
UN officials said: “In real-world crashes, retractable door handles may not open.”
Fresh concerns were raised just weeks after Elon Musk’s firm was sued in the US over claims one of its Cybertrucks failed to open up after a November accident.
Three people died following the crash when they became trapped inside the burning vehicle.
Tesla said it was exploring different door handle redesigns in response to the recent concerning speculation.
Hidden door handles have been introduced on a range of other rival carmakers – and are not exclusive to Tesla vehicles.
They are designed to pop out when pressed down – or when they detect a car key nearby.
The mechanism was first pioneered by Tesla before other designers followed suit.
But they now face being phased out – with several car companies already replacing them with external buttons or switches.
Some vehicles provide back-up mechanical unlocking features for emergencies – but these can be difficult to locate.
A handful of Tesla vehicles also provide a small pulley key located under a catch by the passenger door which should be used as a fail-safe.
But experts have warned that these fault-aversion systems can be complicated to operate -especially in high-pressure crash scenarios.
They said: “Instructions in owners’ manuals … are no practical solution at an early stage of rescue.”
It comes after UN safety authorities proposed new standards in September that would require door mechanisms to always remain operational if a vehicle loses power.
Draft regulations presented last month said: “The operating method of door release handles shall be intuitive.”
Regulators in China are already planning to ban the technology.
And US authorities are probing whether or not Tesla’s door designs have been trapping children in cars and forcing owners to smash windows to free them.
It comes after a man and two children were burned to death after getting trapped inside a Tesla in a horror crash.
The car is said to have veered off the road and smashed into a tree while attempting to overtake another vehicle in western Germany.
And last November, Krysta Michelle Tsukahara was one of three young people killed when the futuristic car slammed into a tree and exploded in Piedmont, California.
A lawsuit filed by her parents claimed she became trapped inside the blazing Cybertruck when the doors allegedly failed to open.
The Sun reached out to Tesla for comment.
