September 17, 2024, 8:44 am | Read time: 4 minutes
These days, vehicles come with all kinds of technical gadgets. However, the ADAC is now warning against door handles on cars that can be retracted. TECHBOOK explains the background.
Over the years, manufacturers have modernized various things in and on their cars. An electric motor is increasingly humming under the hood; the entertainment system is more versatile than ever before; even something as seemingly banal as the door handles has been changed in terms of design and function. However, the chic appearance of the new door handles has often turned out to be a real danger. Therefore, the ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e. V.) warns about the potential dangers of certain car door handles.
Retractable door handles pose a problem in emergencies, according to ADAC
In a press release, the ADAC explains that the main issue is handles that appear to disappear seamlessly into the rest of the car. These may look more attractive and also have better aerodynamic properties.
However, in the event of an accident, their handling could cause problems for rescuers and other road users. This is because the recessed door handles cannot be operated reliably. This poses a real safety risk in the event of an accident. In the worst-case scenario, first responders may not be able to free trapped people from the car in time. According to the ADAC, even professional emergency services would take longer to reach the occupants.
In the event of a fire in particular, it is necessary to free them as quickly as possible. Therefore, being able to use the handles quickly and intuitively can make the difference between life and death in an emergency.
Electric handles with particular hazard potential
Numerous manufacturers, such as Tesla, Mercedes, and BMW, have recently started to install retractable door handles as standard. However, there are differences: some examples can also be folded out manually with a simple push to open them. However, many others only work electrically. Moreover, the power supply could be cut in the event of an accident. This would make it much more difficult to access people in the car.
It was only in July that the US car manufacturer Fisker had to recall more than 12,500 new cars. The outer door handles on the affected Ocean electric SUVs could not be operated reliably. Almost 9,000 of these cars were sold in the USA and Canada, but around 3,800 were also sold on the European market. Fisker is currently in the process of checking all four exterior door handles of the vehicles affected by the recall using a “special force measuring device.”
The examination of the door handles is generally part of the required test procedures for cars. The ADAC admitted in this regard that there had been no anomalies in crash tests conducted by the European Consortium for the Assessment of Vehicle Safety Systems (Euro NCAP), to which the club also belongs. The tests examined door opening forces and whether the doors unlock automatically in the event of an accident. However, the results were obtained under controlled “laboratory” conditions.
In this context, the automobile club refers to media reports that state that the doors failed in real accidents. Among other things, Bild.de reported on a tragic accident in August 2022 in which two 18-year-olds died. According to an expert report, the electric handles did not extend, and the doors could not be opened from the inside or outside. Five people reportedly died in 2018, partly because the emergency services were unable to open the car.
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Occupants should inform themselves beforehand
According to the ADAC, car door handles are helpful and safe if they function mechanically and extend even if the power supply fails. This allows a strong pull to open the door if necessary.
There are also cars that can be opened electrically from the inside. Here, too, it must be possible to unlock the door in the event of an accident without power. Therefore, owners of such vehicles should find out about emergency unlocking systems in advance and show them to passengers. An emergency window hammer is also recommended, although it reaches its limits with laminated glass panes in modern cars.