A Phoneix grandmother locked out of her Tesla with her grandchild in the back seat

[brkaus]

Fire department is trained to break doors and not the art of locksmith.

I am not an expert but there might be reasons that they refuse to learn the art of locksmith.

AAA offers 12V replacement when drivers are stranded on the road, but they can't do it on a Tesla. Sure, you can try to call AAA in this case but I doubt they can be of any help just like the way they are trained on roadside 12V battery replacement.

You can call 24/7 locksmith but it's doubtful that they can arrive as fast as the fire department.

Yes, there are ways to get into a Tesla but it's not as convenient if Tesla refuses to design a mechanical key.

This is an AAA choice. There is nothing special about a Tesla battery in the older cars that had 12v.

Does this really work, can a Tesla be opened with a coat hanger?

Yes. It’s tricky, but you can get a coat hanger in and pull the emergency release on the front handle.

 

[MP3Mike]

Does this really work, can a Tesla be opened with a coat hanger?

Yes.

 

[Tam]

I think that everyone's point is that you are considering Tesla's solution a bad design.

But yet keys, which could be considered worse, existed for nearly 100 years and were never faulted as a "bad design"

For example, how many times have kids been locked in other vehicles?
And now, over 6 years after the Model 3's start, we have a "problem"

Mechanical key has been a proven solution when the driver is outside of the car holding it.

Electronic key without mechanical key in the very same scenario described in this thread has been proven that it needs some thing or some one else to act as a mechanical solution: Get the coat hanger that's hanging right inside the locked Tesla, get the AAA that doesn't know how to open a Tesla door, get a fire department who can break the window, call a locksmith to unlock the door, take a break and watch the youtube on how to operate a coat hanger...

It's true that if the mechanical key is locked inside the car then it's just like a Tesla and the owner has to call for help to act as a mechanical solution.

However, as the world is getting richer, there are solutions to alert the owner from keeping the fob (with the mechanical key hidden) inside the car.

 

[ewoodrick]

Mechanical key has been a proven solution when the driver is outside of the car holding it.

Electronic key without mechanical key in the very same scenario described in this thread has been proven that it needs some thing or some one else to act as a mechanical solution: Get the coat hanger that's hanging right inside the locked Tesla, get the AAA that doesn't know how to open a Tesla door, get a fire department who can break the window, call a locksmith to unlock the door, take a break and watch the youtube on how to operate a coat hanger...

It's true that if the mechanical key is locked inside the car then it's just like a Tesla and the owner has to call for help to act as a mechanical solution.

However, as the world is getting richer, there are solutions to alert the owner from keeping the fob (with the mechanical key hidden) inside the car.

Tesla phone as a key has been a proven solution as long as the LV battery is charged (and it's extremely rare for it not to be)

I thought that I gave you two scenarios when the mechanical key fails. i.e. lock jammed.

Or let me put it this way. How many LV Tesla failures have you seen compared to "I left my keys in the car?"

 

[TheLastDon]

Her kids were locked in the back. I believe that she left her keys in the car. She panicked and got someone to knock out the window.

(Her husband was actually close, and it wasn't hot. The kids would have not been in any danger if left inside until he got there. So he was slightly upset at having to buy a new window)

EDIT:
Let me correct this, my friend was indeed ready to kill her for doing it.

Haha. OOOOOOHHH. That makes more sense now. "Ready to kill herself" makes much more sense.

 

[ewoodrick]

Haha. OOOOOOHHH. That makes more sense now. "Ready to kill herself" makes much more sense.

You may want to reread my post. I never said she was going to kill herself. I only asked if a life was with more than a window. i.e. is saving your kids life worth knocking out a window.

 

[SO16]

And if the key was locked in the car, the physical key wouldn’t help.

What Tesla does need to fix though is the warning of the 12v battery needing to be replaced. My car warned me plenty early but if it didn’t for others, that’s not good.

 

[TheLastDon]

You may want to reread my post. I never said she was going to kill herself. I only asked if a life was with more than a window. i.e. is saving your kids life worth knocking out a window.

Oh yes, This is what I missed.

"The EXACT same way a friend of mine's wife did. (not an EV)"

I thought you said "died" not "did"...lol

 

[BitJam]

On average 37 children and 150 pets die every year from being left inside a hot car. As of Investor Day last year the total number of children and pets who have died this way inside of a Tesla was zero.

 

[FastEddieB]

On average 37 children and 150 pets die every year from being left inside a hot car. As of Investor Day last year the total number of children and pets who have died this way inside of a Tesla was zero.

Good point. And tragic.

But aren’t the majority of these caused by forgetful or irresponsible drivers, not from the “lock out” scenario being discussed here?

 

[Lance From Jax]

And if the key was locked in the car, the physical key wouldn’t help.

What Tesla does need to fix though is the warning of the 12v battery needing to be replaced. My car warned me plenty early but if it didn’t for others, that’s not good.

I think the claim that they were not notified about the LV battery going bad is dubious at best. Zoned out on meds is a more likely scenario.

 

[MitchMitch]

I think the claim that they were not notified about the LV battery going bad is dubious at best. Zoned out on meds is a more likely scenario.

After watching the story for the fourth time, I thought the exact same thing on both accounts.

As a start, maybe Tesla could make the lv battery warnings super persistent . . . perhaps require escalating driver acknowledgement/input before drive.
Annoying for most of us, but helpful for those less focused.

 

[CyberGus]

I think the claim that they were not notified about the LV battery going bad is dubious at best.

maybe Tesla could make the lv battery warnings super persistent

It's not un-possible for a battery to fail suddenly.

I find it somewhat disconcerting that the First Responders did not know how to enter a disabled Tesla without a can opener, although they are usually responding to a crash where expediency is demanded.

I should probably attempt the "jump start" procedure myself, to ensure I can do it, and to gauge the time required.

 

[ewoodrick]

It's not un-possible for a battery to fail suddenly.

I find it somewhat disconcerting that the First Responders did not know how to enter a disabled Tesla without a can opener, although they are usually responding to a crash where expediency is demanded.

I should probably attempt the "jump start" procedure myself, to ensure I can do it, and to gauge the time required.

Testing is hard to do. For safety, it won't work until the 12V battery is dead. Otherwise, it becomes too easy to enter for theft.

 

[FastEddieB]

It's not un-possible for a battery to fail suddenly.

In my experience it happens fairly regularly.

 

[CyberGus]

Testing is hard to do. For safety, it won't work until the 12V battery is dead. Otherwise, it becomes too easy to enter for theft.

Right, I would need to disconnect the MV battery first to "simulate" failure. Hopefully this does not cause an actual failure lol

 

[FastEddieB]

Testing is hard to do. For safety, it won't work until the 12V battery is dead. Otherwise, it becomes too easy to enter for theft.

Would it cause problems to disconnect the 12v battery and then test it? Does the car need to then recalibrate a bunch of stuff or is the important stuff stored in non-volatile memory.

I ask because I’d like to tape a small battery (A23) to the small wires under the cover, to always have it handy like in the video I linked to. Then maybe carry a small LiFePO4 battery (which I already have and weighs less than 3 lb) and some small jumper cables “just in case”. Almost assuring that I’ll need any of that, of course!

 

[CyberGus]

Would it cause problems to disconnect the 12v battery and then test it? Does the car need to then recalibrate a bunch of stuff or is the important stuff stored in non-volatile memory.

I ask because I’d like to tape a small battery (A23) to the small wires under the cover, to always have it handy like in the video I linked to. Then maybe carry a small LiFePO4 battery (which I already have and weighs less than 3 lb) and some small jumper cables “just in case”. Almost assuring that I’ll need any of that, of course!

There is a "reset" procedure that involves disconnecting the LV battery, this is the first step in R&R of any electronic component anyway. It's more of a "reboot" effect than a wipe, so everything should come up normally when power is restored. I don't see anything in the procedure about needing to recalibrate anything.

 

[ewoodrick]

In my experience it happens fairly regularly.

You may think that it's failing fast, but I suspect that the batteries were giving all sorts of hints that they weren't happy.

Tesla does monitor this. I got a pop-up telling me it was time to change mine.

 

[BitJam]

But aren’t the majority of these caused by forgetful or irresponsible drivers, [..]

Exactly! Teslas prevent these tragic deaths not only with "keep" and "dog" modes but with Cabin Overheat Protection which protects your loved ones even when you forget.

[...] not from the “lock out” scenario being discussed here?

Like we've seen over and over again with other Tesla "scare stories" in the media, this article implies that Teslas and other automated vehicles are bad and dangerous. It does this by taking one incident out of context. I think it is important to add back the context in order to have a balanced discussion.