Door Handle Safety

[1stPlace]

My opinion: a child who is too young to use this should have child security locks engaged. (Not that Rivian shouldn’t recall and fix ASAP!)

The problem most clearly illustrated in the initial thread video to me from the Piedmont cybertruck incident is that external handles were not manual. There are multiple separate access issues here, and obviously this is very nuanced. Internal and external activation, as well as 1st and 2nd row "privileges". Again, you found the right solution for your use case, but hopefully there is a more universal approach that develops. We are on a forum and can demand and speculate all we want. The engineers at the these respective companies should be hopefully smart enough to create solutions that are "cool" and "efficient" without a decrease in safety relative to the current standards.

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[CrazyOne]

Doesn’t every 4 door car in the last 30+ years have child safety locks? What happens if a passenger needs to open a door in an emergency? Isn’t this the same problem then?

Does anyone use these anymore? In Rivian, and our other cars, kids cannot reach the release while in a convertible car seat. The seat belt is hard to unbuckle. They will stay in in till they are old enough to know the consequences.

 

[Mr. Ham]

Not sure. My kids are now grown. Reading here I realize part two is if the external handle is not working. If that’s Hooked to something electronic and it’s not working… now I see the real problem.

Does anyone use these anymore? In Rivian, and our other cars, kids cannot reach the release while in a convertible car seat. The seat belt is hard to unbuckle. They will stay in in till they are old enough to know the consequences.

 

[kenyee]

China is banning external electronic handles as well:
https://www.autoblog.com/news/china...retractable-door-handles-over-safety-concerns

 

[Goose]

A few of us went through this on Reddit the other day, see below. My posts are the ones with the yellow/green pull cord, if you have questions. (I’m also happy to bring the content here, if anyone wants it on this site for posterity.)

I contend that removing the panel to access the mechanical pull is impossible without tools…and likely impossible even with tools, as the closed door prevents the ability to use them. I have relatively strong hands; I know I couldn’t get it off. Besides needing gorilla strength, you need leverage you really can’t get with the door closed. Further, your thighs block the panel that needs to be removed, so it’s necessary to have space to move yourself toward the middle. Lastly, I don’t think your fingers can reach where they need to easily, if at all. Make no mistake: this cannot be used in an emergency. It just checks some box for NHTSA standards compliance.

That said, the process we run through to install a cord (via the linked post below) is VERY easy, and 100% non-destructive. It works perfectly, and my 8- and 10-year olds are now successfully able to open doors without the button.

I love this! It might be worth tying a wooden toggle onto the end to the kids can have added leverage. Would also add to the aesthetics with the other wooden accents Rivian uses.

 

[Explorer83]

Emergency Hammer Home depot

One of these at every seat. Cheap insurance every car should have.

 

[David_C_]

Emergency Hammer Home depot

One of these at every seat. Cheap insurance every car should have.

If I might make a suggestion here: careful relying on these. Firstly you need to be able to find them, as a crash severe enough to need them is also one where you likely went sideways or upside down. They should be tied or velcroed to a spot you know you can get to. Loose in a door pocket is no good, they’ll fly out. Secondly, they only work if you have enough room to swing your arm. On a road trip with a lot of luggage, there’s a good chance a crash big enough to cut power also pins luggage against you. And if we’re talking about kids in the backseat, I honestly don’t know how big/strong you need to be to break the glass and kick it out of the door frame

I carry a pair in my car, but as a “better than nothing” tool.

 

[David_C_]

Not sure. My kids are now grown. Reading here I realize part two is if the external handle is not working. If that’s Hooked to something electronic and it’s not working… now I see the real problem.

This is my big concern too. Jose says: “In an emergency, rescuers can still open those doors manually using the exterior handles.” I’m not sure that’s true. I haven’t seen that officially from Rivian, and don’t know how to test.

 

[Birdowin]

It is hard for me to understand why we can't just have old style mechanical door openers. The electric ones seem to just be an unnecessary gimmick.

 

[David_C_]

David, you clearly are not reading these threads. You CANNOT open the panel to pull the release cable in the back seats. Tools are required, and even then it is likely not possible with the door closed. Please read the other posts first, then contribute something helpful.

 

[Engi_Nerd]

My family was impacted by this. My wife was T-boned at high speed in her Model Y and trapped in the vehicle. She was unfamiliar with the manual door releases since we'd not had the car long, and probably too disoriented to use them even if she'd been more familiar. The driver door had minimal damage but EMTs ultimately had to remove her from the passenger side, which was unfortunate, since she had two fractured vertebrae. In every other way, the car did an unbelievable job protecting her. Incredible performance of the passenger cell and airbags, didn't roll over like a gas car would have, called emergency services for her, notified me via the app, provided us with video that was invaluable. The door handles though, are nothing short of an abomination and should have been addressed long ago. The fact that China beat us to this is shameful and emblematic of our ever-expanding national dysfunction.

I understand the appeal and even necessity of the electronic release but at the end of the day it invites unacceptable confusion regarding ingress and egress with passengers and emergency personnel. Even having two-stage handles, where a half pull is electronic and a deeper pull is mechanical seems like it could still be confusing to a lot of folks. Just needs to be single-action mechanical door release, internal and external.

 

[godfodder0901]

Emergency Hammer Home depot

One of these at every seat. Cheap insurance every car should have.

Good luck using that on the acustic laminated glass on the Rivian...

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/v...-work/67-86da1b5e-e36e-4c61-a003-e52e9cd8e89e

Maybe you need to rethink your backup plan...

 

[Explorer83]

It is hard for me to understand why we can't just have old style mechanical door openers. The electric ones seem to just be an unnecessary gimmick.

If you understood how many cars on the market have electric doors you would be surprised. I have a rental Nissan Sentra this morning that wouldnt let me out until i first unlocked the door with the unlock button then pressed the handle.

The same thing is true of laminated glass. Just watched a demonstration on breaking the laminated glass from a 2009 Ford Edge.
The truth is anyone can find themselves in this situation at any time in any car.

I see the discussions about the hammers and their limitations. Point taken, so whats the better solution?

 

[Birdowin]

Like I said, mechanical door latches.

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