Numerous Tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power.::Numerous Tesla owners say they have been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power.Teslas come with manual door releases, but they can be hard to find

  • indigomirage@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Have they tried subscribing to Twitter Blue? As I understand it, it ‘unlocks’ the door feature…

    /s

  • Spectacle8011@lemmy.comfysnug.space
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    1 year ago

    This is how the BMW a friend owns works, and it’s not an EV. The unlock button in the driver’s seat just stops working if the car is off.

    How do I know this? I decided to stay in the car while my friend went to go get something, and it auto-locked as he walked away. After about 5 minutes of trying everything I could think of to get out (including attempting to climb into the boot, which was too small for anything except a malnourished child to fit through), he came back and unlocked it.

    There is no manual way to unlock the door from the inside. I checked the driver’s manual. It says it’s impossible to do without “special knowledge” and does not provide any pointers on how to do so. The friend asked a guy at the BMW place after a service how to unlock it from the inside, and he said “oh, yeah, there’s no way to do that,” and laughed it off.

    Previous BMW models weren’t designed like this. I can’t imagine what they’ll do to the next generation…

      • Freeman@lemmy.pub
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        1 year ago

        Im surprised thats not a NHTSA mandate. Its a safety thing. Like why you have to have a windsheild and mirrors on a car. Even if you can remove the windshield (ie: Jeep Wranglers) if you are caught on the road with it down, you are gonna get a ticket.

          • Freeman@lemmy.pub
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            1 year ago

            I believe you can write them. Based on this, it does appear to mandate that you have to have a release on the inside. bUT it doesn’t say it has to be manual and it doesn’t necessarily say it has to be operable at all times.

            That said, at the least, it would seem BMW would be in violation of the spirit of the law at least, and probably the letter too.

            Teslas less so since they have an manual override but it being hidden and not well labeled is it’s own issue.

            https://www.nhtsa.gov/interpretations/08-000497-16-jan-09-rewrite

        • 30mag@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Even if you can remove the windshield (ie: Jeep Wranglers) if you are caught on the road with it down, you are gonna get a ticket.

          Except for motorcycles, right?

          • Freeman@lemmy.pub
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            1 year ago

            Motorcycles arent cars and arent treated as such. But anyone thats driven one knows how shitty it is to drive one with no protection on your face. Even a juicy bug at 70 mph doesnt feel awesome.

                • 30mag@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  You can drive with a cracked windshield. I don’t think you know what you’re talk about.

                  49 CFR 393.60©

                  © Windshield condition. With the exception of the conditions listed in paragraphs ©(1), ©(2), and ©(3) of this section, each windshield shall be free of discoloration or damage in the area extending upward from the height of the top of the steering wheel (excluding a 51 mm (2 inch) border at the top of the windshield) and extending from a 25 mm (1 inch) border at each side of the windshield or windshield panel. Exceptions:

                  (1) Coloring or tinting which meets the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section;

                  (2) Any crack that is not intersected by any other cracks;

                  (3) Any damaged area which can be covered by a disc 19 mm (3⁄4 inch) in diameter if not closer than 76 mm (3 inches) to any other similarly damaged area.

                  https:/​/​www.ecfr.gov/​current/​title-49/​part-393/​section-393.60#p-393.60©

      • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Listen, r/technology needs its antimusk fix, OK? Teslas are pig piles of shit and people who likes theirs are simply too stockholmedf/sunkcost/whatever to see it.

    • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      I can’t imagine what they’ll do to the next generation…

      Given the heated seats subscription, we can make a guess…

      • rmuk@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        “Fire Detected! Unlock rapid vehicle disembarkation service? Single use €199.95. Taxes calculated at checkout. €19.95 convenience fee. Want it immediately? Instant delivery just €29.95. To purchase, just install BMW EZcape app from Google Play or Apple App Store! Registration, compatible device and registration required.”

    • HollandJim@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Weird. When I got my VW ID.3, I once left the wife inside and (out of habit) locked the car. Everything was okay until she opened the glove box and the alarm went off, but she was still able to open the door and leave the car. And then glare at me.

      Never lost power yet, but the door IS purely mechanical so I can’t imagine being trapped inside.

      • Spectacle8011@lemmy.comfysnug.space
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        1 year ago

        The previous generation BMW car my friend owned worked fine. This is a new regression, and if you look further up the thread, you’ll see I’ve posted a photo of page 86 of the BMW handbook where BMW acknowledges their own bad design and pushes the responsibility onto the owner to not lock people inside the car. While also having an auto-lock feature which is on by default.

        It would be good to find out if this design was intentional or somehow just not tested until they had produced these models. The wording makes it seem that way.

        • HollandJim@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Okay - I’ll grant you that, having not owned a BMW since my old 2002 days. I’m perhaps responding to the general discussions points of poor user controls and interactions rather than the rabbit hole of BMW quirks.

    • emergencybird@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      BMW I have has the same thing going on. I was working on the car and thought to unplug the battery before continuing to work, unplugged it, closed the trunk, with my tools inside, closed the other doors and went inside for a snack. That was a rough day. I figured out that jumping the car would let me pop the trunk real quick and that saved me. Horrifying few hours before finding that out though

      • Spectacle8011@lemmy.comfysnug.space
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, uhh…it’s pretty stupid. The more I think about it, the more shocked I am that BMW is so aware of this that they need two separate warnings for it in the handbook, but make it the owner’s responsibility not to put themselves in that situation…?

      • Spectacle8011@lemmy.comfysnug.space
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        1 year ago

        Car is on some sort of lease program where you trade it in for the next model after a few years. There would need to be some way of installing a manual release without causing damage to the car…or preventing BMW from taking it back.

  • meejle@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    We’re deleting ‘doors’ as a feature. They just don’t make sense.

    — Melontusk

    • LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      ‘Doors’ feature will only be available as a subscription service*

      • your subscription can be revoked at any moment of you’re mean to Melon on Xitter
  • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    I am flabbergasted about how little some people know about cars.

    In a discussion about a potentially mandatory hardware cutoff button for EVs after the accident in China:

    • But that’s just an electric button! What is a button good for if the electronics fail?

    Do you know what a hardware cutoff does?

    • Could I press it accidentally?

    Such button would be mounted somewhere you can see and easily reach but normally don’t have hands there, like the dashboard.

    • What if I’m going 80 mph on a highway and the cutoff somehow activates?

    Did you realize that you don’t actually stop dead when the motor is disconnected? You will start coasting, gradually slowing down (unless it’s downhill) and come to a halt in about a minute.
    However, the software (or hardware, if the manufacturer is actually safety aware) will “notice” the cutoff and turn on brake lights (& hazards if they are separate), and inform you that you need to pull the button back up to reconnect the contacts. If you realize your mistake immediately, you can revert it in less time than it takes beginners to shift gears on some old cars (which is also a time when the motor is not engaged).

    • But how do I stop a rogue car if the button actually does not do it by itself?

    Slamming the brakes all the way should mechanically engage the brake pads regardless of whether the electronics works. If not, the car is not road legal.

    • Cars did not use to have this!

    Do you know what the ignition key does? It physically prevents the motor from firing any further if it is pulled.

    Stop complaining about mechanical overrides to electronic systems! Any software engineer will tell you that they’ll happily be able to pull the plug if their computer tries to kill them!

    • Yendor@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      The brakes in a Tesla are move powerful than the motors. If the guy in China had actually been hitting the brakes, the car could have never reached 150kmh. The chance of a simultaneous failure of the mechanical brakes, the electrical interlocks and the drive software is FAR less likely than the chance the driver was pushing the wrong peddle.

      • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        The brakes in a Tesla are move powerful than the motors.

        Maybe if you combine e-brakes and brake pads, I guess? Anyway, I agree that at >100 km/h, the brake pads should easily overpower the motor.

    • SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      And aircraft have manual overrides. Moving the yoke will disconnect the autopilot, circuit breakers can be pulled to disconnect systems, landing gear can drop via gravity, etc.

  • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    The manual door release can be tricky to find unless you’ve combed through your car’s owner’s manual.

    Absolute horseshit. Practically every person who gets out of my car for the first time goes for the manual handle. I have to make a point to tell them to use the button.

    • SirQuackTheDuck@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I have to make a point to tell them to use the button.

      So the design is flawed. 20 year old cars can drop the window slightly when the door is opened, why can’t a semi-self-driving car do it?

      • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        20 year old cars can drop the window slightly when the door is opened

        sigh

        It does. If there is no power or somebody swings the door open super fast it can damage/break the window. Generally it’s fine.

        • daed@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Not even a Tesla or Elon guy but wow people just really enjoy shitting on these cars lol. That 20 year old car that drops the window doesn’t drop it when the battery is dead either. Flawed design man, Teslas are ass, Elon is Satan 🤷‍♂️

    • set_secret@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      came here to say this exact thing. I’m paranoid new people will pull the manual exit over the button, becauseit can potentially damage the frame.(which is dumb for other reasons).

    • asudox@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What? Do you mean that there’s a button to open the door in Teslas? Wasn’t that standardized? And it is hard to find? They must be retarded.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net
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      I am inclined to agree, except that I’ve also worked at Tesla and they’re not well designed or put together. They don’t have things where every other car on the market has them, and some things fall apart easily or dont work in the first place.

      • atp@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Owning a Tesla is basically a scavenger hunt to find out where they cut corners during design and manufacturing. (Hint: It’s literally everywhere possible.) I’ve never been so disappointed by a car in my life (‘23 MYP).

          • tmRgwnM9b87eJUPq@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            You’re right about that. The software is quite epic, compared to other EV manufacturers, like BMW.

            The route planning for 1000+ km road trips is almost perfect.

    • tmRgwnM9b87eJUPq@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      You’re totally right.

      There is a manual door handle, which is not supposed to be used.

      Most guests in my car naturally tend to go for the manual handle instead of the button, when not instructed.

      So the people who claim to be locked are either looking for money or are total dumbfucks.

  • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Teslas come with manual door releases, but they can be hard to find

    This is misleading. The door releases are extremely hidden, and seem to be specifically designed to not be found by anyone who has not received special training to find and use them. Also, they are not the same on every model, and are sometimes not even the same on all versions of the same model.

    Some releases are hidden inside of door panel molding, others are hidden inside speaker grills, some are hidden under floor mats and even then must be pulled a specific direction to function.

    Tesla seems to be going out of their way to kill people by trapping them. It’s fucking bizarre.

    • tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.uk
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      Like the ones on the 3 and Y that are literally the first things the people go for if you haven’t told them where the open button is…

      I mean, if you’re functionally blind, you could argue they’re hidden…

      • body_by_make@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        This is actually true, I did this last week. The owner had to show me the open button. However, I think I’ve heard the S or X might have an actually difficult to find release, but not sure.

    • Yendor@reddthat.com
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      The first time I ever rode in a Model 3, I accidentally used the mechanical door handle instead of the electronic one. It’s exactly where a normal door handle is. The driver said it happens all the time.

    • halloween_spookster@lemmy.world
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      I’ve had a lot more people accidentally open the door with the manual override than the normal door release because it’s a lot more obvious than the normal door release. There are a ton of reasons to criticize Tesla, this is not one of them IMO. This article reads like a lot of other anti-EV “news” articles.

    • MrBusiness@lemmy.zip
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      I mean, when you hide a manual door release behind a speaker grill what other conclusion can be made?

  • Baby Shoggoth [she/her]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    i hear that numerous tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power

    i’ve also heard that numerous tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power

    that, on top of the news that numerous tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power makes me realize we may be facing a horrifying truth: that numerous tesla owners are being trapped inside their EVs after they lost power

    • BluJay320@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      Did you hear that numerous Tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power?

      • Jessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        Hold on, are you saying that numerous Tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power? I ask because I heard that numerous Tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power. Did you also hear that numerous Tesla owners say they’ve been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power?

    • Buttons@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      This reminds me of the reports I’ve heard about numerous tesla owners being trapped inside their EVs after they lost power.

  • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    People… There are manual door handles right where you expect them to be. Why isn’t this in the title hmmmmmmm?

    • MrBusiness@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      For the model S and X the handles look normal, but not for the model Y and 3. The handles for the model Y and 3 are in front of the window buttons, easy to miss. On top of that using the manual release handles for the model Y and 3 could possibly crack your window trim. Stupid, but true.

      Try looking up the models they’re talking about in the article before assuming things hmmmmmmm?

      But seriously, everyone should look up the emergency info for your vehicles. May you never need it, but it’s good to know. Like not all Tesla models have a back seat/trunk escape if you find yourself in a serious front end collision. Or how in the Model X you have to pry off the speaker grill to access the manual release wire.

      • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I have a 3. Again, I have to tell people to use the button the first (and 2nd, and on) time they get out. They go right for the manual release which is where, as I said, you would expect.

  • clausetrophobic@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I get that people could be more curious about their cars, but hiding an emergency release like some kind of hidden book on Hogwarts that you have to yank on seems like a dumb idea. Car doors have established design language, and if you break that design language it has to be pretty fucking obvious how to do the action your users were trained to do.

    • SquashyO@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      They are not hidden, I proactively tell new passengers to use the button not the emergency pull handle. If you use the emergency release the window doesn’t drop and can mess up the window trim. I learned to warn people after the first 3 passengers pulled the handle automatically instead of pressing the button marked ‘door’.

    • Terevos@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I the Tesla, the emergency release is where you’d normally look for the regular release. I have to tell people to use the button near their thumb instead.

      I get that not everyone has this same experience, but it seems like most people already know where the emergency release is on the Tesla, even if they’re not owners.

      I think the problem is more that people don’t even look for an emergency release because they assume there isn’t one.

      • jj4211@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Tesla is not alone (there was a story about someone trapped in a Corvette because they didn’t know about the separate emergency release handle).

        However, there are examples of doing it better. For example, evidently in the Mach E the emergency release is… pulling the normal door release harder. So there’s some detent for ‘normal electric opening of door’ and then if you are more frantic, pulling harder to really open the door.

  • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It’s a feature, not a bug. This way you can admire interior even more. /s

  • silvercove@lemdro.id
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    1 year ago

    Fact #648637 why Tesla is a bad car. It just feels very sloppy and badly engineered.

    • Thann@lemmy.ml
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      the door handles are the definition of over-engineered

        • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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          There are manual door handles right where you would expect them to be.

          People are dumb.

          • silvercove@lemdro.id
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            1 year ago

            if lots of people are having the same issue with the design, then it is the design that is dumb.

            • Liz@midwest.social
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              Knowing absolutely nothing about this situation, there are enough Teslas out there that dumb mistakes of every variety are going to happen. At a certain point you can’t work around every kind of stupid, some of them directly conflict with each other. Now, I personally think Teslas are over-engineered in some areas, but despite not ever having been inside one even I know they have electronic doors and and manual override.

              Remember when Toyotas had a problem with spontaneous acceleration? The thing is, no, they didn’t. People were mixing up the brake and accelerator like they always do and somehow one incident made the news, and it became a trend.

              I’ve already lost my enthusiasm for this discussion, but there you go. People be doing dumb things and you gotta ask what the acceptable dumb mistake rate is, because you will never completely eliminate it.

    • MrBusiness@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      Excuse me? But I happen to enjoy taking off my speaker grill to pull my manual release lever to open the back doors. /s

  • db2@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    I hate to be the voice of reason here, but if you get inside a powerful device to pilot it you should at minimum read the directions first.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I hate to be the voice of reason here

      But you could read the article first…

      Exton followed the instructions for the manual release to open the door, but he said this “somehow broke the driver’s window.”

      • rtxn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s the tax. “You want to get out of your crippled car and not have a heat stroke? Go buy a new proprietary window from GlassX.”

      • zurohki@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        IIRC Teslas roll the window down slightly when you open the doors, and this doesn’t work if the car’s dead.

        • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          Lots of cars do this. My old boss had a 350Z in like 2009 that lowered the window when you opened the door.

      • tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.uk
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        Yes that’s a risk, but would you rather have a broken window or be caught in a burning car? More important it still works after a power failure.

    • Darorad@lemmy.world
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      Have you read your entire car manual? Mine’s like 200 pages, no way I’d remember everything even if I did read all of it. It’s best used as a refefence when you need to do something.

      • db2@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        If there was a weird procedure to open the doors I’d read that part… and anything else that isn’t standard or obvious too.

    • zurohki@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I bought a new car recently, and I looked up how to get in, open the hood and jump start it if it has a dead battery, how to get in and start it with a dead keyfob, etc before I ever took delivery.

      A bit of knowledge turns a major problem into a 5 minute problem. That said, it sounds like following the directions and using the manual release didn’t work very well.