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Driver says he was 'trapped' in hot Tesla after battery died. He said he couldn't open doors, windows or even the glove box
https://scrippsnews.com ^

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.


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: automotive; batterypowered; ev; tesla
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To: algore
Lots of people carry these to get out of the car when it goes into the river. The company should pursue this new market opportunity.

“Trapped in your Tesla? Just grab your Tesammer.”


61 posted on 08/02/2023 4:44:18 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (We are proles, they are nobility.)
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To: algore

That oughta make Tesla shares rise another 5% and other EV shares with it.


62 posted on 08/02/2023 4:49:34 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: dznutz

ROFL!!!


63 posted on 08/02/2023 4:50:16 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: umbagi
Except that here in Texas we just call 5’18” “six foot six.”

If you guys don't stop posting funny stuff, my wife is going to sue you and FR when I die from aneuryshumoritis while reading this stuff here.

64 posted on 08/02/2023 4:57:37 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: algore

What bullshit. The manual door handle is right there on your armrest. He must be a blithering idiot.


65 posted on 08/02/2023 5:29:24 AM PDT by dinodino ( Cut it down anyway. )
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To: Paladin2

The C7 and C8 CHEVROLET Corvette has a cable operated lever to open doors and hatch if power fails.


66 posted on 08/02/2023 5:39:52 AM PDT by Hot Rod Garage (Shark)
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To: Paladin2

The AH-1G Cobra gunship had in the cockpit an extremely heavy knife like tool to be used to crash through the plexiglass in the event of a crash. I knew a captain/pilot that had to ditch his Cobra in the Pacific. The canopy would not open. He successfully used that tool to break out.

Back to the main subject - I never liked these automatic locking doors. It’s just one more little bit of freedom taken away from us, which is our own ability to decide when and when not to lock a door. No one needs to nanny our safety.

My POS F150 locks the tailgate and passenger door all the time. If I forget to hit the unlock button when offloading cargo I gotta go back to unlock it. It’s a real pain in the rear. And stupid as hell to lock a tailgate that has an open top, where anyone can just climb over the tailgate to steal whatever is in there. DUMB DUMB DUMB


67 posted on 08/02/2023 5:47:09 AM PDT by redfreedom (Joseph Stalin: "It does not mater how anyone votes, how votes are counted is what matters.")
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To: algore

High tech is great, except when it doesn’t work. I expect huge failures when AI is given control over our lives, and there is no “off” button.


68 posted on 08/02/2023 5:59:51 AM PDT by I want the USA back (One's sex is determined by one's chromosomes. No one has the ability to change one's chromosomes.)
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To: algore
"...while sitting in his car in the garage"

It must have thought the human was trying to off himself with the carbon monoxide, and was being helpful to provide a heat stroke instead.
69 posted on 08/02/2023 6:04:03 AM PDT by larrytown (A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Then they graduate...)
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To: Leaning Right
I have long advocated that every EV should come with a sledge hammer.

Why? They all have a manual latch for the door. Problem is people don't read their freakin' manuals.

70 posted on 08/02/2023 6:10:14 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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To: Paladin2; Chode; SkyDancer; Salamander; Carriage Hill; Lockbox; MtnClimber; nascarnation; ...

Available at your local hardware or automotive store for a few bucks. Keep one in the door pocket or visor, put the tip on the window and press. The window will shatter. Climb out. Or pull out your CCW and put a round through the window.


71 posted on 08/02/2023 6:46:06 AM PDT by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress!!!)
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To: Reverend Wright

And every one of those electronic doodads eats electrons. Big touch screens, electric doors, heat pump air conditioners, power hood and deck releases. Some this stuff could stay manual and save a few yards of range, but then it wouldn’t be so whizbang cool would it.


72 posted on 08/02/2023 6:49:59 AM PDT by redangus
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To: fella
No mechanical way to open car doors

I'm still incensed that my new Ford F150 has no mechanical way to lower the tailgate. I felt silly standing there trying to open it for the first time.

Plus, the (real, comprehensive) owner's manual? They don't give you a hard copy. It's only available on the console screen via computer software which is, you guessed it, also electronically operated.

Suddenly, I'm missing my high school 396 Impala with Julie D sitting so close to me she was almost in my lap.

73 posted on 08/02/2023 6:53:34 AM PDT by LouAvul (Daniel 4:17: "..the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.." )
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To: DeplorablePaul

Comes with everything you need.


74 posted on 08/02/2023 6:55:11 AM PDT by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress!!!)
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To: dinodino

“The manual door handle is right there on your armrest”

for some models.

If you got the wrong model you are out of luck.

Then you need to get on-line and read the manual—while you are freaking out at the time....

and if you are on a country road with no cell service then you might as well be in outer space....

nobody can hear you scream.


75 posted on 08/02/2023 6:59:42 AM PDT by cgbg (Claiming that laws and regs that limit “hate speech” stop freedom of speech is “hate speech”.)
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To: LukeL; mabarker1

It is smart to have a window-breaking tool in modern cars, but one should try to keep it in a place where they know it will remain during a car crash or rollover.

Theory is placing it in the unused cup holder but that might not be reality when needed.


76 posted on 08/02/2023 7:05:40 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: algore

Do Tesla’s have air conditioning?


77 posted on 08/02/2023 7:11:49 AM PDT by Colo9250 ( )
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To: Paladin2

Actually a hammer isn’t the greatest option, especially if it has laminated glass.


78 posted on 08/02/2023 7:12:52 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: NorthMountain

Always store a pack of foam ear protectors with your firearm. My husband has a small capsule on his key-chain with a set of those in it. They do not take up much room and can actually be squished down in your gun holster. Those may not provide full ear protection but would be better than nothing at all.

Hubby and I will be watching a movie in which a shoot-out happens in an enclosed space and we are both noting that everyone’s hearing is now non-existent so there is no way they could be having a whispered conversation after such a round of gun-fire.


79 posted on 08/02/2023 7:21:41 AM PDT by CFW (I will not comply!)
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To: Hot Rod Garage

Didn’t some Texas guy die in his Corvette (2015) because he didn’t know how to manually open the door?


80 posted on 08/02/2023 7:25:15 AM PDT by Do_Tar (All my comments are creative or artistic expression.)
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