SAFE Exit Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
The SAFE Exit Act of 2026 directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue a final rule within two years amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 206 for vehicles with electronic door latch systems. The revised standard must require a power-independent, easy-to-find manual release for each occupant-egress door and a way for emergency responders to access the occupant compartment when vehicle electrical power is lost. The rule must set performance and labeling requirements, and covered manufacturers get a compliance date no later than two years after the final rule. The bill defines electronic door latch, manual release, and Standard 206.
Who Benefits and How
Vehicle occupants benefit because doors with electronic latch systems would need an intuitive mechanical escape path during power loss. Emergency responders benefit because the rule must require access to the occupant compartment when electrical systems fail. NHTSA safety regulators benefit from clear authority to add labeling and performance rules to Standard 206.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Automakers that use electronic door latches must redesign or certify manual release features, labels, and responder-access methods. NHTSA rulemaking staff must write the final rule within two years and set the compliance schedule. Suppliers of electronic latch systems may need to update components or documentation to meet the new mechanical-release requirement.
Key Provisions
- Requires DOT to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 206 within two years.
- Mandates power-independent manual releases for each occupant-egress door on vehicles with electronic latch systems.
- Requires emergency-responder access when vehicle electrical power is lost.
- Establishes performance and labeling requirements for covered vehicles.
- Sets manufacturer compliance no later than two years after the final rule.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires DOT to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 206 so vehicles with electronic door latch systems have power-independent manual door releases for occupant escape and emergency-responder access when electrical power is lost.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Manufacturing, Law Enforcement
Primary Purpose
Requires DOT to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 206 so vehicles with electronic door latch systems have power-independent manual door releases for occupant escape and emergency-responder access when electrical power is lost.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Drivers in electronic-latch vehicles
- Passengers in electronic-latch vehicles
- Firefighters responding to crashes
- Emergency medical responders
- NHTSA vehicle safety regulators
- Manual door release suppliers
Identified Costs
- Vehicle manufacturers using electronic latches
- Electronic latch system suppliers
- Transportation Department rulemaking staff
- NHTSA compliance staff
- Vehicle certification teams
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeForwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Ms. Kelly of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was …
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Automakers using electronic latches, Electronic latch system suppliers, Manual door release suppliers
Positive-direction: Manual door release suppliers
Negative-direction: Automakers using electronic latches, Electronic latch system suppliers, Vehicle certification teams
NHTSA rulemaking staff, NHTSA vehicle safety regulators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology