Posted on 08/01/2023 10:04:07 PM PDT by algore
An Arizona man says he was trapped in his Tesla in the extreme heat after the power died and he didn't know how to escape.
Investigators at Scripps News Phoenix found dozens of drivers have filed complaints with federal auto safety regulators who are urging car owners to learn how to manually get out in an emergency.
"It's definitely a safety concern; it was one of the hotter days," said 73-year-old Rick Meggison.
He said he was stuck in his Tesla Model Y in his garage back in June.
"I couldn't open the doors. I couldn't lower the windows. The computer was dead, so I couldn't open the glove box. I couldn't open anything." Meggison said his main lithium-ion battery, what's needed to propel his electric car, had plenty of range.
He later learned a separate 12-volt battery in his Tesla Model Y died after he opened the door, and he said he was trapped inside on a 100° day for 20 minutes. The low-voltage battery powers what's inside a Tesla including the doors, computer display, and windows.
"Being caught in there for a couple hours could be dangerous," he said.
Meggison said he eventually called his sister who somehow got the passenger door to open through the Tesla app, but it cracked his window. He said he had to call a tow truck to take his Tesla to the company's service center. His invoice reads, "Car won't power on… remove and replace 12v battery."
"I think that Tesla needs to address this," Meggison said.
"It's essentially a computer on wheels that's run on a battery," said car safety expert Norma Hubele.
Hubele is the founder of theautoprofessor.com, a data-based website that ranks how cars perform in crashes. She's also been an expert witness in over 120 consumer-related cases with the majority involving automotive safety.
"If that battery is not reliable or if for some reason the consumer isn't aware of how to override a problem with the battery, then you can have real safety problems," she said.
When the electric system fails, there is a way to get out of an electric car, which is clearly outlined in Tesla's manual, but experts believe many drivers, like Meggison, are unaware.
Suffering from destination anxiety?
Right now I’m looking at a 1998 Honda Civic for sale with just over 100k miles for around $2.5k. In Virginia, 25 years old or older makes it an antique which means you can get permanent antique plates for it, no safety or emissions inspections, no tag renewal, no personal property tax and really cheap “classic” car insurance. Can’t beat that!
OMG!! Another reason not to buy EVs!!!
Which is one more event that could be blamed on Global Warming, and with the computer deciding that since man is the problem, as programed, then burning down houses and roasting humans is the only recourse. /Sar
Honda Civics last forever. If you don’t buy it, I will. What a find!
This is a problem. Emergency exits (and the manual release is an emergency exit) need to be obvious and not require thinking to get out.
I guess they used a little biddy 12 volt battery in the interest of WEIGHT...so as to increase the cars mileage.
My truck battery....(biggest one that fits the s[ace available)
Sounds like one of those dingbats that actually DRIVES his EV, rather than just showing it off to people in his driveway.
I think this is what they meant by ...”should learn to do so manually.”
It’s a matter of relative risks. Sitting behind a gas can powered by a carefully controlled series of explosions has its own risks.
Exactly, hammers are not great against modern car windows.
This is all so stupid. Steven Greer claims that psychopaths and control freaks in the deep dark reaches of government refuse to release the long-held knowledge on ‘free energy.’ We do not need any stink’n batteries or petroleum power if the bastards holding the technology hostage can be taken down. Greer claims these rogue dark characters pose an existential threat to the world in many ways
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2hk8Qp8dd0
To your point ...
https://insideevs.com/news/507202/how-escape-from-tesla-emergency/
One can get our of the FRONT seats manually in all models. Apparently in some of the older models there was no rear seat manual release.
Be bad for an Uber passenger trapped in the rear seat after a wreck, but the lack of a manual release would also keep a shrewd child from opening the door at the wrong time.
Virtue signaling has its perils.
Now that the reality of the EV hoax has hit this guy will he smarten up? Probably not.
My wife’s Tiguan was sitting on a parking lot with a dead battery (I’d left it with an interior light on, the ones on my car shut off automatically) and we could not get the thing open. We tried everything, and ended up calling AAA and waiting 3 hours for them to get there on a busy weekend night. They did the jimmy the window thing, and after many tries caught it interior latch to open it up
When she mentioned that to a dealer, the guy showed her the hidden mechanical key lock on the door handle. It was there, we just didn’t know it.
You might have one on your car and not know about it.
While he is right about the door latches Scotty is NOT the guy I would go to for car advice.
He thinks compression fittings are ok on brake lines. They are not.
EVs suck whether it’s a Tesla or not. They’re decades from being reliable.
My 2023 Lexus RX350h hybrid has those electric door latches, but to exit the car you just press on it and the door pops right open. If the battery is dead, you pull on the latch like you would any other type of car (besides Tesla) and the door opens just like that. Dealer showed me when I bought the car. Easy peasy.
Great tools. I am a machinist these days. Got to be most expensive center punch there is.
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