Why Most Modern Cars Don’t Use “Suicide” Doors

They largely disappeared because rear-hinged doors are harder to make fail-safe in real-world use, complicate crashworthiness and structural design, and add cost without strong consumer demand; today they persist mainly in tightly engineered luxury models and a few niche vehicles with added interlocks and reinforcements. The term “suicide doors” refers to rear-hinged doors that were common in early automobiles but fell out of favor as safety standards, aerodynamics, and manufacturing priorities evolved. Here’s how design, regulation, and market forces pushed them to the fringes—and where they survive in 2025.

What “Suicide” Doors Are—and Why They Caught On Early

Rear-hinged or “coach” doors open from the front edge of the door frame, the reverse of typical modern doors. In the 1920s–1930s, they simplified entry and exit—especially to rear seats—and worked well with the body-on-frame construction of the era. As speeds rose and unit-body construction and safety expectations changed, the layout exposed vulnerabilities that front-hinged doors more easily avoided.

The Safety Equation Changed

The core problem is physics. If a rear-hinged door unlatches while the vehicle is moving, oncoming airflow tends to catch the trailing edge and force the door wider open, not closed. Historically that increased the chance of occupant ejection if someone grabbed for the door. Modern latch designs, seatbelts, and airbags mitigate risk, but rear-hinged doors still demand extra engineering to match the inherent stability of front-hinged doors.

Regulations and Testing Made It Harder (But Not Impossible)

Door systems must meet stringent latch and intrusion standards—U.S. FMVSS 206 (door locks and retention), FMVSS 214 (side impact), FMVSS 226 (ejection mitigation), and comparable UN ECE rules such as R11 (latches) and R95/R135 (side and pole impacts). Rear-hinged designs can comply, but they often require stronger multi-stage latches, load paths, and electronic interlocks, adding weight, cost, and complexity that many mainstream programs can’t justify.

Engineering and Packaging Trade-offs

Beyond latches, rear-hinged doors interact with the entire body structure, airbags, and weather sealing in ways that ripple through cost and mass.

Structure, B-Pillars, and Crash Loads

Designers love the open, pillarless “showroom” look that opposed doors can create. But deleting or thinning the B-pillar (the central body post) makes meeting side-impact and roof-crush targets harder. To compensate, engineers must beef up sills, door beams, and roof rails—adding weight and expense. Even with a B-pillar, rear-hinged rear doors complicate load transfer and latch alignment under crash deformation.

Airbags, Seals, and Usability

Side-curtain airbags, speakers, window regulators, and weather seals are easier to package in conventional doors. Rear-hinged setups sometimes require shorter rear doors, special glass frames, staggered handles, and synchronized opening logic (rear door opens only after the front), which can frustrate passengers and complicate manufacturing.

Key Reasons They Faded From the Mainstream

Automakers and safety engineers point to a cluster of practical factors that, together, made conventional front-hinged doors the default. The list below summarizes the drivers behind the shift.

• Safety margins: Aerodynamic forces tend to “sail” rear-hinged doors open if unlatched at speed, demanding stronger, heavier latches and interlocks.
• Crash performance: Maintaining side-impact, ejection mitigation, and roof-crush performance is simpler with front-hinged doors and a robust B-pillar.
• Weight and cost: Extra reinforcements and hardware add mass and expense with limited perceived benefit for most buyers.
• Child and curb safety: Traditional rear doors make it easier to manage child locks and protect occupants stepping into traffic.
• Manufacturing complexity: Unique hinges, seals, and alignment processes slow lines and increase variability.
• Market demand: Consumers rarely cite rear-hinged doors as a purchase driver; the feature doesn’t typically move sales in cost-sensitive segments.

Taken together, these factors make rear-hinged doors an uphill business case outside of halo products or specific design-led concepts.

Where They Still Exist in 2025

Rear-hinged doors never fully vanished; they migrated to niches where their theater and access benefits outweigh the trade-offs.

Ultra-Luxury “Coach Doors”

Rolls-Royce continues to use power-operated coach doors across its lineup—Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan, and the electric Spectre coupe—backed by robust latches, sensors, and soft-close systems. The doors emphasize ceremony and rear-cabin access, with engineering and cost no object.

Limited and Niche Models

Lincoln briefly revived them in the 2019–2020 Continental Coach Door Edition (low-volume). The BMW i3 (ended production in 2022) used rear-hinged rear doors to ease entry in its compact cabin. Mazda has leaned on the layout twice: the RX-8 (2003–2012) and the MX-30 (ongoing in Europe and Japan, including the R-EV range-extended variant) both use “freestyle” rear doors that open only after the front doors. Earlier niche examples include the Honda Element, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Saturn Ion Quad Coupe, and the first-generation Mini Clubman’s single right-side “clubdoor.”

Pickup “Half-Doors”

Extended-cab pickups popularized clamshell rear-hinged half-doors in the 1990s–2010s. Many tied the rear door to the front door for safety and rigidity; as full four-door crew cabs became dominant, these half-doors have become less common in North America, though they still appear in certain markets and work trucks.

How Automakers Make Rear-Hinged Doors Safer When They Use Them

When manufacturers do opt for rear-hinged doors today, they layer in hardware and software to manage risks and satisfy crash tests. The points below outline the typical tools in the engineering toolkit.

• Multi-stage latches and reinforced strikers designed to resist aerodynamic and crash loads.
• Electronic interlocks that prevent opening at speed and require the front door to open first.
• Power-assisted, soft-close mechanisms that ensure full latch engagement every time.
• Stronger sills, door beams, and roof rails to replace or supplement B-pillar strength.
• Curtain and thorax airbags tuned for wide apertures and unconventional door geometry.
• Sensors and warnings to detect partial latching, obstructions, or vehicle motion.

These measures can deliver compliant, user-friendly rear-hinged doors, but they raise costs and mass—acceptable in premium niches, harder to justify in high-volume segments.

Could EV Platforms Bring Them Back?

Skateboard EV platforms free up cabin space and allow creative apertures, but the regulatory and cost math hasn’t changed: side-impact loads still need paths, doors still need robust retention, and customers still value simplicity. Expect continued appearances in luxury flagships and occasional design-led models, not a mainstream resurgence.

Summary

Rear-hinged “suicide” doors faded as safety standards, structural requirements, and cost pressures favored the simpler, inherently more stable front-hinged layout. They survive where drama and access are part of the product promise—think Rolls-Royce—or where clever interlocks and low volumes make the economics work. Technically feasible, yes; broadly practical for mass-market cars, still no.

Are suicide doors banned?

No, suicide doors are not illegal; while they fell out of favor due to safety concerns in the past, modern vehicles with suicide doors often incorporate advanced safety features and are found on luxury and limited-edition models, making them a legal and stylish design choice. 
Why they are not illegal

• Modern Safety Features: Opens in new tabUnlike early models, contemporary suicide doors are engineered with automatic locking mechanisms that keep them shut when the car is in motion. 
• Seatbelt Usage: Opens in new tabPassengers are required to wear seatbelts, providing a crucial layer of protection against ejection. 
• Focus on Luxury and Design: Opens in new tabAutomakers use them on high-end vehicles to maximize the space for rear passengers, creating an elegant, iconic, and exclusive look. 

Why they were historically problematic

• Lack of Safety Regulations: Opens in new tabIn the early days of motoring, there were fewer safety regulations, and door latches and seatbelts were not as reliable. 
• Aerodynamic Forces: Opens in new tabThe air pressure on a moving vehicle could easily catch a rear-hinged door and pull it open or even rip it off its hinges, a hazard not present with front-hinged doors that are forced shut by the wind. 
• Risk of Ejection: Opens in new tabIf a door opened while the vehicle was moving, the force of the air could eject passengers from the car, which led to the “suicide door” nickname. 

Why did suicide doors go away?

‘Suicide’ doors largely disappeared due to previously mentioned structural integrity issues resulting from having no B-Pillar which an increasing focus on safety and crash testing in the latter part of the last century would have driven.

What is the new name for suicide doors?

Today, suicide doors are mostly found on custom cars or luxury vehicles. Some carmakers have even reintroduced this door style in recent years, offering a retro option for modern drivers. Several manufacturers have their own names, such as coach doors or FlexDoors, to help make the feature not sound so morbid.

What was the last car to have suicide doors?

The most recent mass-produced model with such doors may be the Opel Meriva, followed by the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in 2018, and a few Chinese electric vehicles including the Singulato iS6 in 2018 and HiPhi X in 2020.