Children burned in electric car because of door handle - now fire department makes clear statement

It's a horrific scenario: A Tesla crashes into a tree and bursts into flames within seconds because the electric car's massive battery is ripped open. A child inside manages to escape, but two other children and the driver are burned to death .

Weeks after the accident, the probable cause is becoming increasingly clear: The Tesla Model S Plaid's electrical locking systems apparently failed. First responders and even professional rescuers had to watch helplessly. The battery fire was so hot that "the door handles melted very quickly," a police officer who was on scene told FOCUS online.

In addition to the specific risks of an electric car fire – extinguishing them is considerably more difficult than with a conventional vehicle fire – the recessed door handles of modern cars have come into focus, not only after this crash. These are used not only by Tesla, but also by BMW , Mercedes , and Kia. They are particularly popular in electric cars, but are also sometimes used in conventional vehicles.

"The vehicle caught fire immediately, the power supply failed, and the retractable electric door handles were presumably no longer operable," writes "Auto Motor & Sport" and interviewed Jörg Heck of the German Fire Brigade Association (DFV). Heck has a clear demand for all car manufacturers: "A first responder must be able to open a door that isn't jammed quickly and without tools," says Heck. "There has to be something mechanical. In an emergency, a door must be able to be opened intuitively from both the inside and the outside."

"In crash tests, the 12-volt power supply is usually still present, but in reality, especially in serious accidents, this is more often not the case," says Heck, who represents the German Fire Service (DFV) in various expert committees on accident rescue. The fire service clearly views the trend toward recessed and electrically operated door handles as a "dangerous trend."

Some electric cars, such as the Tesla Model 3, have a mechanical emergency release. In the case of the Model 3, however, this only applies to the front doors—and the release is so hidden that a panicked person trapped in a burning car would have a hard time finding it.

"Auto Motor & Sport" cites further examples: "The Ford Mustang Mach-E no longer has any handles; the doors open automatically at the push of a button. Audi offers a solution to this problem in the current A5. Here, an opening wire is deployed from the handle after the airbag is deployed. However, manufacturers will soon have to offer comprehensive solutions because, starting in 2026, the Euro NCAP crash institute will downgrade models whose retractable electric handles can no longer be operated after a power loss," the magazine reports. In addition, following similar accidents, Chinese authorities have announced their intention to completely ban electric and recessed door handles starting in 2027 .

If automakers continue to ignore the criticism, which has already been voiced by many automotive journalists and the ADAC (German Automobile Club), they are likely to face massive waves of lawsuits. The electric car manufacturer Tesla is known for settling lawsuits with secret settlements worth millions . The Americans are thus following a cynical logic that has a long tradition in the US auto industry, especially since the famous Ford Pinto disaster in the 1970s: The manufacturer compares the costs of legal disputes following fatal accidents with the costs that a safer design would entail. Whatever is less expensive is then implemented. But when China announces that it will ban the stylish, but also potentially highly dangerous, door handles, no automaker will be able to ignore this any longer.