Tesla's Dangerous Doors (electronic door latches) - Can Rivian please not follow this trend?

[FreddyFugazi]

Also.....to be perfectly clear. I think there is something wrong with my truck/phone/fob configuration. I can't believe I'm in such a minority that everyone else loves these features and I hate them. I mean, I'm weird, but I'm not usually THAT weird.

Well I am right there with you.

Was your last vehicle an Audi by chance? Mine was, and IMO it's a masterclass in passive vehicle access.

BMW. From what you described my X3 worked the same way as your Q7. Grab the handle it unlocks. Tap the right spot and it locks. Not once did my X3 deny me access when I touched the handle. Meanwhile my R1 trolls me regularly by popping Gary on the screen while I pull out my phone to figure out why pressing the handle did nothing.

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[JohnB R1T]

I've had considerably less frustration with the occasional failure of the PAAK to automatically unlock the R1T upon approach since discovering and implementing this:

Scenario: Truck is asleep, Phone is asleep...approach truck, nothing happens

Solution: Remove sleeping phone from pocket, wave it near the door handle. Truck unlocks. No need to wake up phone or delve into the app.

(Apologies for boring those of you who already knew this.)

 

[kenyee]

The issue is being noticed in other countries too..
https://phandroid.com/2025/09/12/chinas-war-on-retractable-door-handles-could-change-cars-forever/

 

[Tejkalra]

In gen2, there's the button, but there's a physical lever on the door to pull that is cabled to the latch. That can be used to escape when there's a total electrical failure.
And remembered wrong, just like tesla for the rears. Only the front has the manual latch. Need to climb over the seats.

New tesla's have a latch or pull wire for rear as well now.

 

[scottf200]

Carry a device to break glass. If you are in an accident and need to escape, grab it, shatter the door glass, get out. I have one in every car. Most double as a blade to cut seatbelts.

No way I’m going to spend time trying to unlatch a door.

This shows what happens when you try to do that with laminated glass THO.

 

[TexasBob]

Update today: "Tesla Faces US Auto Safety Investigation Over Door Handles"
Article take-aways

• US auto safety regulators opened an investigation into whether some Tesla Inc. vehicle doors are defective, citing incidents in which exterior handles stopped working and trapped children inside.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it’s opening a preliminary evaluation of Tesla’s electrically powered door handles becoming inoperative due to issues with certain vehicles’ low-voltage batteries.
• NHTSA’s investigation is focused on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside of the vehicle as that circumstance is the only one in which there is no manual way to open the door.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ency-over-door-handles?srnd=homepage-americas

 

[Davethadog]

the rear doors on the s and T have the mechanical latch hidden under a trim strip that I had to ask SEVERAL people both at the sales and service center because no one could give me a straight answer as to where it was and how to access it.

 

[TTedP]

I've had considerably less frustration with the occasional failure of the PAAK to automatically unlock the R1T upon approach since discovering and implementing this:

Scenario: Truck is asleep, Phone is asleep...approach truck, nothing happens

Solution: Remove sleeping phone from pocket, wave it near the door handle. Truck unlocks. No need to wake up phone or delve into the app.

(Apologies for boring those of you who already knew this.)

Not boring at all. Until recently, I didnt realize I could just tap my phone near the door handle and it would open. Similar to my past cars where you just touch the handle with the fob in pocket.

For other methods I use;
- PAAK w proximity - hit or miss. Seems like it used to be better but has gotten more sporadic over the last few software updates on both the car and phone.
- Gen 1 fob was problematic for sure. The Gen 2 fob works much better. Very consistent.
- Siri shortcut. Took too long to get Siri to respond and send it / wake up car

My go to now is PAAK set up. When proximity works, bonus. Otherwise tap phone to handle.

 

[FreddyFugazi]

Not boring at all. Until recently, I didnt realize I could just tap my phone near the door handle and it would open. Similar to my past cars where you just touch the handle with the fob in pocket.

For other methods I use;
- PAAK w proximity - hit or miss. Seems like it used to be better but has gotten more sporadic over the last few software updates on both the car and phone.
- Gen 1 fob was problematic for sure. The Gen 2 fob works much better. Very consistent.
- Siri shortcut. Took too long to get Siri to respond and send it / wake up car

My go to now is PAAK set up. When proximity works, bonus. Otherwise tap phone to handle.

You should not have to touch your phone to unlock the car assuming the phones bluetooth antenna is already on (see manual below). JohnB is just waking up their phone by waving it around.

However this doesn't work consistently for me, and it is the worst when in Lock Only mode. I have such a poor success rate that I bought the key fob and unlock manually now. I have had situations where I'm packing the car, get too far away so it locks, and then come back 30s later to a handle that doesn't respond to a touch. Phone is on, bluetooth is active, yet Gary is on screen with the doors still locked. Maybe me and @2kwik4u do need to open tickets for our issues... however to the point of this thread, if we had normal handles we wouldn't have these issues!

Generally though I really don't the see a need for proximity locking. Its overly complicated and presents security concerns at times. I would rather have a consistent tap to enter / tap to lock experience that is 100% reliable. Even with the key fob this is not possible.

 

[portdirect]

the rear doors on the s and T have the mechanical latch hidden under a trim strip that I had to ask SEVERAL people both at the sales and service center because no one could give me a straight answer as to where it was and how to access it.

Volvo did this right in the EX90 - the internal handles are both the electronic switch and the emergency mechanical release. So if for whatever reason the electronic release is not working - you just pull the handle harder and it releases the door. Considering this almost certainly the natural action a panicked occupant would do it seems like the best of both worlds.

 

[TTedP]

You should not have to touch your phone to unlock the car assuming the phones bluetooth antenna is already on (see manual below). JohnB is just waking up their phone by waving it around.

However this doesn't work consistently for me, and it is the worst when in Lock Only mode. I have such a poor success rate that I bought the key fob and unlock manually now. I have had situations where I'm packing the car, get too far away so it locks, and then come back 30s later to a handle that doesn't respond to a touch. Phone is on, bluetooth is active, yet Gary is on screen with the doors still locked. Maybe me and @2kwik4u do need to open tickets for our issues... however to the point of this thread, if we had normal handles we wouldn't have these issues!

Generally though I really don't the see a need for proximity locking. Its overly complicated and presents security concerns at times. I would rather have a consistent tap to enter / tap to lock experience that is 100% reliable. Even with the key fob this is not possible.

ah. I stand corrected again. Didnt realize it was just a finger touch. I always used proximity and it worked reliably well on my Gen 1 (activated from a good distance away). On this Gen 2, it sometimes doesn't happen until I'm right at the door.

Back OT, I agree with most here, the electronic door latches are a feature from Tesla I don't want. Much prefer manual handles (and manual AC vents)

 

[jeeden]

Tesla now redesigning.

Rivian needs to stay FAR away from any of this. They don't need people that only read headlines associating them with this issue...

https://www.theverge.com/news/780744/tesla-redesigning-passenger-trapping-door-handles

 

[VandalSibs]

the rear doors on the s and T have the mechanical latch hidden under a trim strip that I had to ask SEVERAL people both at the sales and service center because no one could give me a straight answer as to where it was and how to access it.

It's in the owners manual, which is accessible from Rivian's support site.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Here’s the better question, is there any reason why electronic door locks are better? Why are manufacturers using them? As multiple people have mentioned, these door locks are becoming rather popular. If it’s just a design choice they should bring back manual. If it’s something else maybe it’s worth evaluating the trade off.

Gen2's child door locks are entirely electrical, there's not a physical switch like Gen1. Should technically mean it's safer since they can be deactivated electrically during a crash, and I highly suspect the mechanical release under the door panel will work regardless of the setting.

Most accidents don't cause an immediate loss of 12V power. I suspect the issue is more the result of the vehicle spontaneously dying due to loss of 12V power, and not specifically accident related.

ah. I stand corrected again. Didnt realize it was just a finger touch. I always used proximity and it worked reliably well on my Gen 1 (activated from a good distance away). On this Gen 2, it sometimes doesn't happen until I'm right at the door.

Back OT, I agree with most here, the electronic door latches are a feature from Tesla I don't want. Much prefer manual handles (and manual AC vents)

Doesn't have to be fingers, but you might not be tall enough to rub your butt on the door handle.

 

[Davethadog]

It's in the owners manual, which is accessible from Rivian's support site.

You shouldn’t have to go digging for that information online when you’re trying to decide if you want to buy the car or not.

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