Why Are They Called “Suicide Doors” on a Car?

They’re called “suicide doors” because rear-hinged car doors can swing open into the airstream while a vehicle is moving, making them hard to close and increasing the risk that wind pressure could pull an occupant out—especially in the early days of motoring when door latches and seat belts were primitive or absent. The nickname, which became popular in the 1920s–1930s, reflects the perceived danger of this door configuration compared with conventional front-hinged doors.

What “Suicide Doors” Are

In automotive design, “suicide doors” refer to doors hinged at the rear rather than the front. When the vehicle is moving forward, these doors open against the direction of travel, exposing the door opening to oncoming air. The configuration was once common on pre-war luxury cars and carriages (hence the more polite term “coach doors”), faded as safety standards tightened, and has occasionally reappeared on modern vehicles with added safeguards.

How the Nickname Emerged

The exact origin of the term isn’t pinned to a single inventor or model, but period automotive slang from the interwar era popularized it. The label arose because rear-hinged doors were more hazardous if a latch failed or a door wasn’t fully closed: wind could catch the panel, fling it wide, and make it difficult—sometimes impossible—to pull shut from inside. In the pre-seat-belt era, that increased the risk of ejection. Exiting into traffic also posed added danger, since the open door could shield the occupant from oncoming vehicles or cyclists until too late.

The specific risks that created the label

Several practical hazards associated with rear-hinged doors contributed to the grim nickname. The following points summarize the main safety concerns engineers and drivers faced, especially before modern safety standards and equipment:

• Aerodynamic force: If a rear-hinged door popped open at speed, the airstream could catch it and hold it open, making closure difficult and potentially pulling occupants outward.
• Early latch design: Mid-century vehicles often had weaker or single-point latches that were more prone to failure in crashes or if not fully engaged.
• No seat belts: Before widespread adoption of seat belts (and later, three-point belts), accidental openings posed a much higher ejection risk.
• Traffic exposure: Stepping out onto a road opened the door in a way that could hide the person from approaching traffic, increasing the chance of being struck.
• Door damage or detachment: The wind load on an open rear-hinged door could bend hinges or tear the door, creating additional hazards.

Taken together, these factors made rear-hinged doors statistically and intuitively riskier in early automotive contexts, reinforcing a nickname that emphasized danger.

Decline and Revival

As crash safety advanced after World War II, automakers largely shifted to front-hinged doors. Regulatory frameworks—such as the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 206 (FMVSS 206) for door locks and retention components, implemented in the late 1960s—raised the bar for latch strength and performance in crashes. Still, the aesthetic and practical benefits of wide openings later inspired limited revivals. Modern implementations use advanced latching, sensors, and interlocks to mitigate legacy risks, and luxury brands typically avoid the “suicide” label in favor of “coach doors.”

Modern safety measures that address the old risks

Contemporary vehicles with rear-hinged doors incorporate specific technologies and design strategies to reduce the hazards that originally prompted the nickname. Here are the most common safeguards:

• Stronger, multi-point latches and FMVSS 206-compliant hardware to resist accidental opening and withstand crash loads.
• Speed-sensitive locks and interlocks that inhibit door opening while the vehicle is moving.
• Power “soft-close” and powered latches that confirm full closure and reduce partial-latch scenarios.
• Door sequencing (e.g., rear doors that cannot open unless the front door is open), seen on cars like the BMW i3 and Mazda RX-8.
• Structural reinforcements and hidden B-pillars or latch posts to preserve side-impact strength.
• Warning chimes, dashboard alerts, and sensors that detect ajar doors before movement.

These measures don’t change the fundamental hinge orientation, but they substantially reduce the likelihood of unintentional opening and improve occupant protection versus historical designs.

Notable cars that use rear-hinged doors

While the configuration is uncommon today, several modern and historical vehicles have used rear-hinged doors for style, access, or packaging reasons. The following examples illustrate how the concept has evolved:

• Rolls-Royce Phantom, Ghost, and Cullinan: Marketed as “coach doors,” paired with power latching and interlocks.
• Lincoln Continental (1961–1969) and the limited 2019 “Coach Door Edition”: Iconic American use of rear-hinged rear doors.
• Mazda RX-8 (2003–2012): Rear half-doors opening only with the front doors for better rear-seat access.
• BMW i3 (2013–2022): Rear-hinged rear doors with interlocks, aiding entry in a compact EV.
• Mini Clubman (first generation R55): Added a small “Clubdoor” on the right side in some markets.
• Honda Element; Toyota FJ Cruiser; extended-cab pickups (e.g., Ford F-150 SuperCab): Rear-hinged secondary doors to ease loading in tight spaces.

Manufacturers generally avoid the “suicide” descriptor today, favoring terms like “rear-hinged,” “coach,” or “clamshell” doors to emphasize convenience and design heritage rather than risk.

Etymology versus Myth

Folklore sometimes attributes the term to gangster-era tropes—like mobsters pushing victims from moving cars—but there’s little evidence that this is the source. The more plausible explanation is mundane: early rear-hinged doors were genuinely more dangerous if they opened unexpectedly, and the terse slang captured that real-world risk.

Summary

They’re called “suicide doors” because rear-hinged doors posed heightened danger in early automobiles: if a door opened while moving, wind could force it wider and potentially pull an unbelted occupant out, and exiting into traffic carried extra risk. Regulations and better engineering largely ended their mainstream use, but modern versions—often called “coach doors”—reappear with robust latches, interlocks, and structural reinforcements that address the original safety concerns.

Why do luxury cars have suicide doors?

Luxury vehicles from the Rolls-Royce lineup to the Lincoln Continental have featured suicide doors to eliminate or minimize the B-pillar and maximize entry space.

Why are suicide doors illegal?

“Suicide doors” were mass-produced in the early 20th century, but by the 1960s, this type of door was banned due to low safety. Today, “suicide doors” still occasionally appear on new models originating in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Where does the term “suicide doors

The term “suicide doors” comes from their extreme danger before the widespread adoption of seatbelts, when a rear-hinged door unlatched at speed could be caught by the wind and blast open, potentially causing a passenger to fall out of the car. The name refers to the dangerous act of opening such a door in a moving vehicle, which was considered a suicidal action. While they were popular in the early 20th century and used on many vehicles, their inherent risk led to the design being phased out and replaced by other names, such as coach doors or clamshell doors.
 
Why They Were Dangerous

• Lack of Seatbelts: In the early days of automobiles, mandatory seatbelt use was not standard. 
• Wind Resistance: The rear-hinged doors, often called suicide doors, could be caught by the wind when a vehicle was moving. 
• Passenger Risk: An unlatched door would then be forced open by the airflow, creating a significant risk of the passenger being pulled out of the car. 

Other Names for the Doors

• Coach Doors: Opens in new tabThis name is commonly used for the rear-hinged doors on some modern vehicles, such as the Rolls-Royce and some extended cab pickup trucks. 
• Clamshell Doors: Opens in new tabAnother alternative name that describes the appearance of the doors when they open. 

Why don’t they make suicide doors on cars anymore?

They stopped making “suicide doors” because the design is inherently dangerous, especially in the context of modern safety standards and technology. The primary reasons were increased risk of accidents due to the doors flying open, occupant ejection, and reduced structural integrity for vehicles without a B-pillar. While they are rare on mass-produced vehicles, luxury and niche vehicles sometimes reintroduce them with modern safety interlocks and designs to mitigate these risks.
 
Safety Hazards

• Accidental opening: On the road, wind resistance can cause the door to swing open, potentially ejecting an occupant. 
• Lack of seat belts: In the era when suicide doors were common, seat belts were not standard, increasing the risk of occupants falling out. 
• Collision dangers: A side-impact accident could cause the rear-hinged door to trap a passenger between the door and the car’s bodywork, leading to serious injury. 
• Pedestrian risk: When a passenger opens a suicide door on the sidewalk side of the road, they could easily push a pedestrian into oncoming traffic. 

Structural Integrity and Regulations

• Structural weakness: Without a B-pillar (the pillar between the front and rear doors), the vehicle’s overall structural integrity is compromised. 
• Crash standards: Stricter safety regulations and crash-testing standards made it more difficult and costly to design suicide doors that meet modern safety requirements. 

Modern Solutions 

• Clamshell doors: Opens in new tabSome modern manufacturers, such as Rolls-Royce and Mazda, have reintroduced rear-hinged doors as “clamshell doors”.
• Safety interlocks: Opens in new tabThese modern versions feature interlocks and other safety systems to prevent the door from opening until the vehicle has stopped and the front door is open.