Tesla's Door-Handle Disaster, Explained

The electric automaker tried to reimagine how door handles work. Years later, it's facing investigations and a potential industry shift.

Patrick George

By: Patrick George

Sep 19, 2025 at 9:06am ET

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The more I deal in The Future® here at InsideEVs, the more I see things that didn't need to be reimagined. Things like a simple flap that pops open for electric-vehicle charging, for example, just like any gas car has—there's just no real need to motorize those things. Or the need for physical buttons instead of relying on a screen for everything.

But one reimagined car feature is proving to have life-or-death consequences. That would be door handles, which in the EV era have increasingly become flush against the car door itself and controlled by electronic switches rather than mechanical components.

As my co-host Tim Levin and I explore on today's Plugged-In Podcast, Tesla pioneered these features. And by virtue of Tesla's onetime EV sales dominance, they're the most prominent example of this on the market.

But now Tesla is facing a federal investigation after some horrifying incidents where the electronic door handles can become inoperative after a crash—leading to people being trapped in the cars, in certain cases. As we recorded this episode, Tesla announced it's working to fix this issue. It's just not clear if that will be on future Teslas or a recall, or both.

And to be fair, Tesla is hardly the only automaker with this problem. Ford has had to do recalls on the Mustang Mach-E for this exact problem, and it's facing lawsuits over the issue too. And China may force automakers to stop making retractable door handles entirely.

Also on today's episode, we're examining Ram's decision to cancel its electric pickup truck to focus on the engine-equipped range-extender version instead. Is this a setback to Stellantis' stalled EV plans in America, or the right move as electric trucks stall out?

Finally, Tim interviews with Joe Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Infinite Machine, a New York City-based micromobility company making some stunning and high-tech two-wheelers: P1 and the Olto. Joe talks about what made him start a mobility company, what’s wrong with today’s e-bikes and why it’s so important to get people out of cars.

What do you think?

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