Tesla owners say they've been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power
businessinsider.com
businessinsider.com
My reality: every single passenger who had never been on a Tesla before always uses the manual release handle instead of the right button, and I get a warning message on the screen and the risk of breaking the window glass.
Source: Tesla M3 owner
Is there a technical limitation on why the manual release can't also mechanically slide down the window slightly when pulled to not damage the glass?
Also, why did Tesla need to use two obscure looking buttons with no labels on them to open the door[1], when many cars use the same obvious leaver for both cases: pull on it lightly to engage the electronic un-lock, pull on it again with more force to engage the mechanical un-lock. So simple, so elegant.
Type of evidence: Anecdotal
Statistical relevance: Tiny
That's better. The singular of data is not anecdote. People make this "mistake" in order to dismiss or minimize someone's experience.
So in terms of common "mistakes" I see, I think yours is the larger. "First hand accounts" are never unbiased, and are rarely well-collected data. I'm not saying I don't believe OP here, I think this is probably the exception to the rule, but I think you're just wrong.
The plural of anecdote isn't data, because it hasn't been collected in any meaningfully standardizable way.
Edit: If you need evidence this is clearly an anecdote:
> every single passenger who had never been on a Tesla before always uses the manual release handle instead of the right button, and I get a warning message on the screen and the risk of breaking the window glass.
OP is probably assuming that everyone who gets it correct has been in a Tesla before. But given the 2 options and how close they are together, I'd be pretty surprised if no one had gotten this correct on their first try. One of the buttons is much more visible than the other. So either OP's sample size is small enough to be uninteresting, or hyperbole. Either way, it's not data, and it's wrong to treat it as such.
What it does tell us, is that this probably isn't a problem for everyone but that hardly matters to the people who can't figure out how to get out of a Model 3 right now.
Of course, you labeling it as a "mistake" is also made in order to dismiss or minimize my comment, when it was in fact an honest mistake.
Anyway the only real safety issue I can see is that rear doors doesn't have such a system, but I guess the theory here is that there should never be a case when someone is left alone in the rear seat (i.e. Tesla's "dog mode" explicitly tells you that it's just for pet, not meant for humans)
Or that the person in the front are rendered unconscious and now the persons at the back are stuck?
Reality: some people are not able to find the manual release handle, which is a safety issue.
For example, sliding doors usually have clearly marked text on them saying "in event of power loss, push to open".
My guess is the "trapped" people are ones who are very used to using the small button, and have forgotten about the manual release and it never occurs to them since they never have to use it.
I'm not sure how that's possible, but it's my guess.
That sounds like a nice anti-pattern design. Be different for sake of being different.
That the Model 3 rear doors can't be opened manually on a power failure is truly alarming.
EDIT: I misinterpreted the comment I was replying to.
Both functions are not evident (to me) by looking at the handles. Maybe the Tesla's UI is just bad.
For electronic windows, on newer cars it's nearly standard that the switch can be engages by pushing down or pulling up.
Thinking you're stranded on the roadside and can get a ride, but not a tow until the next day.
Do you have to just leave the door open?
I wonder if any other cars have such backup systems to open the doors. That part about bypassing the rear doors' child lock could be quite useful on other vehicles.
Many cars don't need backup because the car doesn't need power in the first place to open the doors.
The ID.4 is a comparable car that does: the emergency door opening engages if you yank the lever hard twice. No need to hunt for some switch in the interior of the car.
That's a great design - gentle pull on the lever and the electronics opens the latch/door, pull harder and (your) mechanical effort opens the door.
I'm interested in how the yank-twice thing works mechanically.
Example: last December, we experienced a deep freeze. Temperatures of 6 F for several days. I had only taken ownership of my Model Y for a week or so. The doors became frozen shut. YouTube videos recommended applying a silicon spray to the crease, which of course would probably solve it later on, but wasn’t helping me in my current situation.
Later on during that deep freeze, a bizarre incident happened where the doors weren’t frozen shut but they actually froze OPEN and my poor kids were in the car with the door open waiting for the lock to thaw.
It would seem to me that a car designed in Northern California did not adequately take into account the weather in other regions.
It was also a known issue in car circles. There was a bit in the door mechanism that collected condensed water and it either froze the door shut or it wouldn't close.
I had to drive a good 50km with the driver's door belted to my thigh so it wouldn't flap open in corners... Finally the interior temp got high enough so the tiny bit of ice melted and the door stayed shut.
The only sorta-solution to this would've been to completely dismantle the door and heavily lubricate the mechanism with a petroleum-based substance that kept the water out.
Donald Norman very early in his book "The Design of Everyday Things" discusses door design in modern buildings focusing on the lack and/or ambiguity of signifiers. These vehicles solve the problem just by removing the ability to open them.
"Rear doors either do not have an emergency release" - you mean like every coupé ever built? Since when were you protesting coupés? Rear doors not only do not have to have manual releases, but don't even have to exist.
"lack and/or ambiguity of signifiers" - the front manual release handle is not only not ambiguous, but is far more prominent than the electric release button, so most people with no experience with the car pull it instead of the button.
It's also, in all this, noting that modern cars have crash sequences. A crash is detected either (ideally) immediately before, or during its occurrence. A wide range of events are triggered, such as brakes, airbags, etc... and among the things triggered is *unlatching all the doors for easy egress* (the specific details depends on the door design - you want the door easy to open but not to pop out during the crash itself). Now, things can go wrong - the prime characteristic of a crash is that it mangles your car, and this can jam doors shut or cause other problems. This is why the Jaws of Life exists. But prepping the doors for egress is something that cars at least try to do during a crash.
I only read the article and some commenters here saying the windows break. The commenter above provides a reason for it that you say is not true. I stand by my comment, that if it is the case the design is "inspired"
>"Rear doors either do not have an emergency release" - you mean like every coupé ever built? Since when were you protesting coupés? Rear doors not only do not have to have manual releases, but don't even have to exist.
Don't most (all ?) of these cars have rear doors? What do coupés have to do with this? Convertibles don't have a roof but I would expect it in a sedan. If the doors exist there sould be a release that works in the case of this electrcal malfunction.
>"lack and/or ambiguity of signifiers" - the front manual release handle is not only not ambiguous, but is far more prominent than the electric release button, so most people with no experience with the car pull it instead of the button.
I expect this is the case for one model? The article has 2 cases of people that own these cars (a model y I think) and could not find the manual release without reading the manual or calling someone. Moreover the confusion you are describing (using the emergency rather than the regular release button) is exactly what ambiguous signifiers result in. This is a design failure as well.
I agree that unlatching the doors in a crash is a part of the crash sequence in many modern cars but these cases are not about crashes. Sudden power loss or an electrical malfunction should trigger the unlatching of doors and they seem to not. Jaws of life would not be a prudent way to get out of your car in these occasions.
2-3 door cars are supposed to be left via moving the front seat. 4-5 door cars DON'T HAVE THAT FUNCTION, THAT'S WHY LACK OF EMERGENCY RELEASE ON THEM IS SO BAD.
Once I get my NACS adapter for my Bolt, the main reason to buy a Tesla will be gone as well. I wonder if my 2017 model needs a software update to connect.
Obviously, not very well.
It wasn't fun, but I did love that car.
I'll take "Things That Have Never Happened" for $800
Most people with no experience with the car reach for the handle rather than the button, as it's more intuitive. The window does NOT shatter when they do this. The window is up against a rubber seal. Rubber has give - it just drags along the rubber. Which you'd ideally rather not do, but it's hardly the end of the world.
(In case anyone is wondering why it's like this - the cars have frameless windows. The same applies to all cars with frameless windows - Teslas aren't the only ones. Generally higher-end cars.)
It's explicitly mentioned in TFA as something that happened.
) Exton followed the instructions for the manual release to open the door, but he said this "somehow broke the driver's window."
I drove a Dodge Neon in the late 90s with frameless windows. The windows were not powered and it did not have a system to lower them when opening the door. It just worked.
Without power the manual handle needs to do that also, which is more complicated that a "normal" door handle.
Edit: Also, I guess weight also of such a battery, but I suppose maybe the weight can be understood by how much reserve it would need.
I believe the original intention was to simply create a reliable, water-tight seal.
I've had this style of window on a sports car for about 10 years and never had any trouble. Many situations where battery was dead or winter weather would make it more difficult to open, but never panic-inducing or made me think it was about to shatter. More of a super sticky seal with the rubber.
When you open the door, the window slides down slightly to clear the frame. If you force it manually, the window might break.