Flush door handles brewing car industry’s latest safety problem. Here's why

Automotive design is a constantly evolving process. With the increasing focus on smoother, more aerodynamic design philosophies, the automakers around the world have been adopting fresh styling elements for their cars. Indian automakers too are no different. One of the major design change that has been witnessing increasing penetration in the modern passenger vehicles is the flush fitting door handles. In India, Tata Motors and Mahindra have been using the flush fitting door handles in their cars.

The electric vehicles use the logic behind using the flush fitting door handles that they give the cars an even more smoother look and better aerodynamic efficiency than the conventional door handles that protrude from the body panel. However, the design element has found its way into the internal combustion engine (ICE) propelled cars as well. Key examples include the Tata Altroz and Mahindra XUV 700.

Flush fitting door handles: What and why?

Flush fitting door handles are recessed into the door's surface, sitting level with the surface of the door rather than protruding. These door handles are used on cars for a sleek, futuristic look. This type of handle is designed for a clean, modern, and space-saving aesthetic. The car designers love them for not ruining the character lines of the door without comprising the necessities.

Flush fitting door handles: Safety risk in guise of drag reduction?

Despite the smooth aesthetic design the flush fitting door handles offer to the cars and the claimed aerodynamic efficiency boost, they also pose several safety risks, which are primarily linked to the potential power and electronic failures, emergency egress and usability. The flush fitting door handles can malfunction in case of electronic or power failures, leaving the occupants trapped inside and hindering the rescue attempts. These can be often hard for the first responders to operate during emergency situation. While the chance is low, but the flush fitting door designs have also been linked to physical injuries from punching and can be highly vulnerable to water damage, specially in harsh weather conditions.

Electronic failure and power loss

Flush fitting door handles rely on electronic systems. If the car loses power, the door handles may not pop out, trapping occupants inside. In an emergency rescue situation, it can be difficult or impossible for first responders to open the doors if the electronic system is malfunctioning.

Physical injury

Even with manual backup releases available in the flush fitting door handles, they can be hard to find and use quickly in a high-stress emergency situation. There have been reports of finger injuries due to pinching, involving the flush fitting door handles.

Not impact proof

The flush fitting door handles can fail during side impacts in case of an accident. The side impacts are traditional patterns of road accidents in many cases. This, along with heavy rain could result in shot circuit, potentially locking doors.