Abstract: A door handle assembly for a motor vehicle which acts to preclude inadvertent unlatching of the door in response to a side impact. The door handle assembly includes a housing and a handle member mounted for pivotal movement on the housing between latched and unlatched positions. An electromagnetic device is mounted on the housing and acts upon energization in response to receipt of an impact signal to preclude movement of the handle to its unlatched position. In one embodiment, the electromagnetic device comprises a solenoid having a plunger which lockingly coacts with detent structure on an arm of the handle in response to a sensed impact. In a second embodiment, the electromagnetic device comprises an electromagnet having a core which coacts upon energization with an armature carried by an arm of the handle to create a magnetic flux force field to preclude handle movement.