Arizona toddler rescued after getting trapped in a Tesla with a dead battery | The Model Y’s 12-volt battery, which powers things like the doors and windows, died

If only we had the technology to open doors without power. One day, perhaps.

The car’s owner, Renee Sanchez, was taking her granddaughter to the zoo, but after loading the child in the Model Y, she closed the door and wasn’t able to open it again. “My phone key wouldn’t open it,” Sanchez said in an interview with Arizona’s Family. “My car key wouldn’t open it.” She called emergency services, and firefighters were dispatched to help.

Just so nobody thinks someone left a kid in the car and then went into a store or something. Tesla should be paying for the broken window repair at the very least.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment; it has dissolved its press office.

Whenever essential functions (e.g. access) are powered, they're supposed to have manual overrides. I'm pretty sure this is a regulatory requirement even here in the States where we're stupid and regulatory agencies are mostly captured.

So WTF happened, Tesla? Where's the manual override for when the battery fails?

Failsafe.

Fail Safe.

Fail Open.

Elon is why we need to write safety regulations. He's the kind of guy who would put sawdust in your food and call it innovation.

I had something similar happen to me years ago in a Toyota minivan. The car stalled and died in traffic, some kind of electrical glitch. I got out to raise the hood. The door closed behind me and it came up with just enough battery to lock itself, with my keys in the ignition and my two babies and quadriplegic husband inside. It was 107° outside. And pre-cellphones. I bolted to the nearby gas station to call 911 and grab something to break a window. Meanwhile hubby tried to coach toddler how to wriggle out of car seat and open door, but straps were too snug. Firehouse was near, and the jammed traffic was all in one direction so they used the opposite side and didn't take long, and they jimmied the door open quickly. But it was boiling in there. Sat the kids by the road to cool off with water and get checked by paramedics, gave water to husband in car with open doors, and waited for a tow to the gas station so I could lower the ramp and get my husband out. Meanwhile of course we made the traffic even worse, but people weren't too mad when they saw our plight as they squeezed past.

I'm wondering, did some similar glitch happen here, or do Tesla doors lock every time they shut?

There was a time I wanted a Tesla, but I don't anymore. This is just another reason why.

Does Tesla care about making a "neat thing" or do they care about making "a car that can drive me places". The doors clearly show they prioritize making a "neat thing", but I want a reliable car.

Opening and closing doors was a solved problem. Somehow Tesla made it worse.

The headline rambles a little bit, and by the time I got to ", died", I thought the toddler was dead.

According to a report from Arizona’s Family:

The 12-volt battery that powers the car’s electronics died without warning.

Tesla drivers are supposed to receive three warnings before that happens, but the Tesla service department confirmed that Sanchez didn’t receive any warnings.

Not even the door locks are mechanical? So much built-in obsolescence...

The fucking DOORS require a charged battery? Fuck that. That decision will age great in the next ten years. Not to mention emergency situations where the electrical system is compromised.

Now imagine this happens in a remote area with no cell coverage. In Arizona those are a thing too.

Why not just open the door with the key like every car ever

what happens when a car catches fire because the electrical system is on fire and you can't Open the door because it's electric

There should really be a law, requiring a certain list of mechanical things to exist on the car. So far, it's only the emergency turn signals, and what, the mirrors? The door handles absolutely need to be on that list

A lot of people are giving Tesla shit here, but surely there should be regulations in place to ensure something like this isn't allowed to be released for public use?

where's the manual door release?

My 1998 Honda Civic SE hatchback was all manual. Manual windows with the canks, manual door locks, manual steering (no power steering), no braking assist, no assist of ANY kind in fact, and a manual transmission. It was basically an engine, four wheels and a steering wheel.

If EV manufacturers could make cars that are closer to my old Civic, with the only difference being the engine being swapped for an electric motor, I would switch in a heartbeat. For now I'll stick with my 2010 Mazda 3, which I barely use except for the occasional trip to my family or friends who are out of the city or to do my groceries once a week. Until cars start using manual controls for essentials like door handles and locks, audio systems and temperature control, I want none of it.

I'm already having trouble with touch screen tablets when I'm not driving, let alone when I need to focus on the damn road.

it's really smart to have non-mechanical mechanical parts for things like a door

I'd love to see a crank on EVs to power the low voltage stuff in emergencies. How many amps does the car startup take? 15A? Maybe bicycle pedals.

Wish Version Iron Man:

"Really? Do you think its 2010 again?

This is the fuuuuuuttttuuurrreeee!!!"

snorts Ketamine and twirls out the door

Really interesting design decision. Was the main battery also dead? I'm guessing not. There's a step-down converter under the rear seat that outputs 12-16 volts, Tesla could probably have fairly easily set the car up to power the doors from that when the auxiliary 12V battery dies.

This is why I bought an EV with mechanical doors.

Glad the toddler could be saved.

I had something similar happen to me years ago in a Toyota minivan. The car stalled and died in traffic, some kind of electrical glitch. I got out to raise the hood. The door closed behind me and it came up with just enough battery to lock itself, with my keys in the ignition and my two babies and quadriplegic husband inside. It was 107° outside. And pre-cellphones. I bolted to the nearby gas station to call 911 and grab something to break a window. Meanwhile hubby tried to coach toddler how to wriggle out of car seat and open door, but straps were too snug. Firehouse was near, and the jammed traffic was all in one direction so they used the opposite side and didn't take long, and they jimmied the door open quickly. But it was boiling in there. Sat the kids by the road to cool off with water and get checked by paramedics, gave water to husband in car with open doors, and waited for a tow to the gas station so I could lower the ramp and get my husband out. Meanwhile of course we made the traffic even worse, but people weren't too mad when they saw our plight as they squeezed past.

I'm wondering, did some similar glitch happen here, or do Tesla doors lock every time they shut?

These cars all have manual backups.

The question is how easy is it to use?

Yeah, My volt battery is in the floor of the trunk. If the battery on the volt dies you can't open the trunk easily. Physical locks in the doors are no problem but they didn't put a keyhole on the damn trunk.

You can pop the hood and access the jump terminals and then pop the trunk. You can also crawl into the back hatch from inside pull a panel off and pop the trunk.

Did the batter die from extreme heat or due to the driver failing to charge the vehicle promptly?

Does the indoor lever (hidden) not work without the battery too?