Car brands caught in deadly loophole

And hidden emergency release features in cars with electric doors could come under fire from government regulators.

Australia’s independent crash safety authority, ANCAP, will update test protocols to address a potentially deadly problem in more than 100,000 vehicles around Australia, including Tesla EVs.

As first reported by Carsales, a regulatory loophole in electronic power-operated doors could prove deadly after it was revealed not all doors have a manual door release mechanism that serves as a backup in case of power failure.

The power-operated door feature uses the car’s 12 volt battery – not the high-voltage battery used to drive the car – to allow occupants to exit the vehicle at the press of a button.

If the car’s 12V battery dies or gets disconnected after an impact, occupants must use a manual door release function to exit the vehicle quickly.