By Jessie Yeung, and CNN’s Beijing bureau
(CNN) — China is banning hidden door handles on all cars sold in the country, becoming the first country in the world to target the feature – which was popularized by Tesla but has for years drawn concern over safety risks.
The hidden door handles are a signature feature of Tesla’s vehicles, and the ban comes as Elon Musk’s company reports declining worldwide sales and struggles with fierce competition in China, its second-biggest market.
On the outside, electric door handles sit flush against the side of the door, requiring a user to press down on the handle to release the lever; from the inside, riders press a button to open the door again.
Though Tesla is the company best-known for this type of door handle, other electric vehicle makers in China have adopted similar designs, including some models by heavyweights Xiaomi and Aion.
The new policy, which does not single out any specific company, now demands that all cars sold in China must have a mechanical release feature for both interior and exterior door handles.
In a statement released Monday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology cited “the inconvenience with operating the exterior door handles and their inability to open after an accident,” and laid out specific requirements for how these handles should function.
Exterior door handles should have enough space for a hand to operate its mechanical release from any angle. And interior handles should be “clearly visible from the corresponding occupant’s position,” it said.
The new rules come into effect on January 1, 2027.
CNN has reached out to Xiaomi, Aion, and Tesla for comment on the new regulations.
The feature has previously come under heavy scrutiny, both in China and elsewhere.
Last September, Tesla said it was looking into redesigning the way to open its car doors in an emergency, after several accidents where passengers were reportedly killed or severely injured in burning vehicles because rescuers could not open them.
Other Tesla owners have reported having to break their own car windows after buckling their children in and then being unable to get in the car again, according to an investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
An investigation by Bloomberg found 140 incidents of people being trapped in their Teslas due to problems with the door handles, including several that resulted in horrific injuries.
Tesla cars do have a manual door release inside the vehicle, for when the regular handles fail.
Similar problems have cropped up in China. Xiaomi saw its stock value tumble last year after a fatal crash involving its sedan killed three people in March – with local media and government-affiliated outlets reporting there had been issues unlocking the car door.
Afterward, the Chinese government tightened rules around the marketing and testing of driver-assistance features.
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