DIY Safety
December 30, 2025
Alex KiersteinA DIY subculture emerges to fix emergency door release issues. It shouldn’t be like this.
I have talked a lot recently about door handle design, emergency door releases, and the anarchy surrounding the design and implementation of both. The very act of driving is already rolling the dice in terms of your safety and that of those around you; the systems you rely upon to escape the vehicle if you find yourself in an emergency should be some of the simplest and most intuitive. And yet, a number of sites online are providing a window to a growing community of Rivian owners who are sharing hacks to make using the manual door override mechanisms easier to use.
The issue that the DIY fixes hope to address occurs on more recent “gen 2” Rivian R1 models. The rear emergency door release is located behind a trim panel on the door. Owners report that it is difficult for an adult to remove and would be near impossible for a child. It has been obvious to automotive media as an issue since the refreshed R1 line’s reveal.
One “solution” involves removing the panel and attaching a cord to the release pull. You can see where the cord attaches to the emergency loop, which reveals how far it’s tucked up in the door’s innards and how difficult it is to see. Other solutions are similar, involving carabiners, zip ties, you name it. They all seek to make the release loop easier to find, and easier to actuate.
It’s not anything like the common, glow-in-the-dark emergency trunk release, which as a reminder is mandated by the FMVSS. The fact that it may be more difficult to establish a direct causal link between an interior door release and accident fatalities (compared to the relatively simple link between kids getting trapped in the trunk and dying, which is what spurred the emergency trunk release mandate) shouldn’t make it any less important.
There are also a number of accessories designed for various Tesla models with similarly difficult to access release handles.
If an owner can jury-rig a solution with a paracord, surely Rivian can easily design a new trim panel with an easily removed allowing clearer and easier access to the emergency release without compromising any of the design’s benefits. Some owners have speculated that the design renders a child door lock function unnecessary. That’s a thin rationale in my opinion, but even assuming good intentions here, find a more elegant way to get occupants—especially children—out of the vehicle in an emergency without adult help.
Rivian has already promised to change the design for the upcoming R2 model. That is admirable. Take the next step and offer a retrofit for existing models affected with this issue to restore owner confidence that the vehicle will be safe for vulnerable occupants.
I have reached out to Rivian to discuss the rationale for the current rear door emergency release loop design and ask about retrofit options, and I’ll update this piece as soon as I get a response. It’s possible there’s some important aspect of the design I’m missing. It’s just not likely.
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