Rivian Plans EV Door Redesign to Address Safety Concerns
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Michael Brooks, executive director for the Center for Auto Safety, said NHTSA should immediately establish standards for electric handles to “ensure ease of egress for vehicle occupants.”
“The lack of federal safety regulations in this area means manufacturers aren’t required to standardize vehicle emergency exit functions, leaving the burden on consumers to study the various emergency escape configurations for every car they travel in,” Brooks said. In emergencies, “the cost to occupants who are unaware of a vehicle’s manual door controls can be tragic.”
By Emily Chang and Edward Ludlow
October 3, 2025
(Bloomberg) — Rivian Automotive Inc. is reworking a key element of its vehicle doors after employees and customers raised concerns over potential safety issues with the current design, according to people familiar with the matter.
Rivian plans to incorporate a manual release that’s more clearly visible and located near the electrically powered interior handles in the rear doors of its next-generation SUV, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The new lower-cost model line known as R2 is slated for deliveries to begin in the first half of 2026.
Electric handle designs are in the spotlight across the auto industry following incidents in which people were unable to open vehicle doors due to a loss of power, trapping children and other occupants inside. In some cases, passengers have died after they couldn’t escape crashed vehicles that caught on fire. After Bloomberg News reported on issues with Tesla Inc.’s doors last month, US auto safety regulators opened a defect investigation.
The change on the R2 aims to address issues stemming from a redesign last year of Rivian’s existing R1 models that moved the rear manual releases to a difficult-to-access location, potentially slowing occupants’ efforts to exit when the electrical system loses power, the people familiar said. To manually open the R1 rear doors from inside, occupants must remove an unlabeled panel and pull a release cord, according to the owner’s manual.