A man who died after his Xiaomi car caught fire in China has reignited the debate over the safety flaws of electronic door handles.
Present in many modern vehicles, electronic door handles are aesthetically sleek, but their potential safety failures in emergency situations have already become a topic of debate.
In the most recent case, the 31-year-old Chinese man died from severe burns because, according to witnesses, he was unable to exit the vehicle engulfed in flames following a collision.
Videos of the accident shared on social media show the driver’s desperate attempts to escape the car, without success.
His car, a Xiaomi SU7, featured electronic door handles, a mechanism that can fail in emergencies, such as crashes and fires, preventing occupants from escaping.
Fatal Crash Involving Xiaomi SU7 in Chengdu: A SU7 electric sedan lost control at high speed, hit a green belt, rolled into oncoming traffic, and caught fire in the early hours of Oct 13. The sole driver tragically died. Xiaomi has not yet commented. pic.twitter.com/c7vVGFcoLo
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) October 13, 2025
However, the car is also equipped with a safety system that should automatically unlock the doors in the event of a collision or airbag deployment.
Additionally, the Xiaomi vehicle also has a manual release system, which also appears not to have worked as expected after the crash.
The exact causes of the accident are still under investigation, but the electronic door handle failure has sparked controversy on Chinese social media.
At the same time, regulatory authorities are considering banning retractable handles starting in 2027. Electric handles would need to have an easily operated mechanical solution for emergencies.
Photo and video: Xiaomi / X @shanghaidaily. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
