The High Cost of Repairing Hidden Door Handles: Why Are They So Expensive?

Why are hidden door handles so expensive to repair, often exceeding a thousand yuan? This question has been raised by many vehicle owners recently, particularly after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took action to regulate hidden car door handles, making it a hot topic of discussion.

Some owners have expressed frustration, stating, “I can afford to buy the car, but not to repair it. Those who don’t own a car should think twice about designs with hidden door handles.” One owner, Ms. Huang from Chengdu, Sichuan, shared her experience with the high cost of repairing her hidden door handle. Her vehicle, a domestic new energy car, had a purchase price of 200,000 yuan. In early April 2025, she accidentally damaged the right rear door handle while exiting a parking garage, rendering it inoperable. The repair bill totaled 1,087.5 yuan, which included 975 yuan for the door handle assembly and 112.5 yuan for labor.

In contrast, Mr. Wang from Fuzhou, Fujian, faced a repair cost of over 4,200 yuan in November 2024, although his vehicle had not been involved in an accident. The primary issue was that the driver’s door could not be opened with the hidden handle or via software control. He could only enter through the passenger or back seats and use the mechanical handle to exit. After an inspection, technicians discovered a problem with the wiring harness of the driver’s door, necessitating the replacement of both the wiring harness assembly and the vehicle’s domain controller, the latter costing 3,800 yuan.

Inquiries to various new energy vehicle service centers in Beijing, including brands like Lynk & Co, BYD, NIO, and Li Auto, revealed that the material costs for the assembly of hidden door handles ranged from 400 to 1,000 yuan, with labor costs charged separately. In comparison, repairs for similar fuel vehicles showed significant differences in costs. For instance, Mr. Zhang from Zhangjiakou, who owns a fuel SUV that cost 190,000 yuan, faced only 120 yuan for the door handle assembly material and 50 yuan for labor after an accident in July 2024.

The disparity in repair costs between hidden and mechanical door handles can be attributed to the complexity of the former. Guo Peng, an automotive maintenance technician with experience in both fuel and new energy vehicles, explained that hidden door handles contain multiple electronic components such as motors and sensors, making their replacement more costly than traditional mechanical handles. “In repairing hidden door handles, we typically replace the entire unit rather than just a specific part, which drives up the overall cost,” he said.

Mr. Han, the manager of a specialized new energy repair shop in Beijing, recently dealt with a Tesla Model Y whose door handle was malfunctioning. The repair center proposed replacing the entire wiring harness at a cost exceeding 4,000 yuan. However, the issue was simply a faulty pressure switch that could have been resolved for only 300 yuan. This highlights the tendency of service centers to recommend full replacements due to high parts prices and a lack of repair options.

According to the China Automobile Dealers Association, as of March 2025, there is a significant shortage of skilled technicians in the automotive repair industry, particularly for new energy vehicles. This shortage contributes to higher costs since many repair shops resort to replacing parts rather than repairing them. The association’s report noted that while the incidence of damage to traditional mechanical handles is low, the likelihood of failure for electronic components, including hidden door handles, is significantly higher due to their complex designs.

With the increasing popularity of new energy vehicles, the market is expected to see a surge in cars coming out of warranty. As repair costs remain high, vehicle owners are left with few options, often opting for complete replacements instead of repairs, leading to unnecessary expenses and resource waste.

Experts suggest that addressing the high repair costs of hidden door handles requires several measures, including improving vocational training for technicians, establishing standardized repair fees, and encouraging collaboration between vocational schools and training institutions to develop specialized courses in new energy vehicle maintenance.

In summary, while hidden door handles enhance the aesthetic and technological appeal of vehicles, their complexity and the associated repair costs present challenges for both consumers and the automotive service industry.