Four People Die Trapped in Burning Tesla

[JeffKeryk]

How often do people ride in cars that are not their own?

Ed

Way more than driving a car that is not theirs.
When people ride in my Tesla, I tell and sometimes show them how to operate the doors.
The door buttons are so simple and the manual lever is obvious. It is so obvious that many use it thinking it is the primary way.

Newbies have far more confusion opening the door from the outside. The thumb and pull lever is different; it is not that uncommon to see them fumble with 2 hands...

 

[02SE]

How can I do that when the controls aren't clearly marked? There is nothing on that emergency release that indicates what it does.

Ask the driver. Or you most likely carry a smartphone, it's easy enough to look up. It's not that hard.

 

[BISCUT]

Growing pains? Companies have been building cars for 120 years. Know-it-alls who want to redo everything differently deserve to hear about it when they have blood on their hands.

Rather extreme reply. Pharma been doing what they do for years as well.....Nuff Said!

 

[Torrid]

I've been in Teslas driven by Uber drivers. Am I supposed to read the manual so I know how to exit in an emergency?

Are every cars controls the same?

 

[Wylie6G72]

I don't really understand why door latches need to be actuator based. A friend of mine had a CTS that had a weird delay between when you pulled the door handle and when it actually unlatched. Isn't this just begging for a failure? Even though it's an electric car, I think they would have been better off with non-electric door latches. Can't be considered an impressive feature if it causes people to die.

 

[dishdude]

Are every cars controls the same?

Of course not, but most are obvious and similar. An electronic solenoid that pops the door open and can fail in an accident is not a typical control to open a door. An unmarked emergency override that looks like a piece of trim is not a logical substitute.

 

[edyvw]

Teslas have a manual door handle in the arm rest; there is also one for the rear passengers, but it is a little more obscure.
One of the great things about buying a Tesla is the easy of taking delivery. Super fast, no up-selling, none of that stuff.
You are basically pointed to your car and off you go. Someone will go with you for inspection and questions, but if you don't know what to ask, how do you know what to ask? Plus, with any new car purchase, owners are generally pretty excited.

By the way, the poor knowledge transfer process is not unique to Tesla. I still don't know how to use a bunch of stuff on our Lexi, especially the RX.

Learning how your car works after an accident is a bad way to go...

I really don't know how MANY times it has to be pointed that human brain does not work the way Tesla engineers envisioned and apparently still cannot learn that.
It is ALL about repetition! In the case of an emergency like fire in the vehicle, passengers are not trained fighter pilots to know where ejection pull or backup is. And even then, many of them don't react appropriately, although they have practiced for years. I almost lost a friend in the fighter jet because of that.
The door handle is universal. It is not a "bunch of stuff" I don't know about. I bet you do know how to open the door in Lexi because the door handle in Lexi is pretty much similar to the one in VW GTI, Toyota Sienna, FIAT 500, or Ferrari. On other hand, if you don't know every feature Apple CarPlay has, I bet it won't matter in case of fire.
This is reinventing the wheel. Itb would be better if they put classic door handles and invested more money in suspension.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I am gonna take a swag and say BITOG members could figure out how to open a Tesla door... I have faith in you!

 

[Ws6]

I've never been a fan of user interfaces that behave differently only in emergencies.

It's like Toyota's (and others') ignition switch buttons that will kill the ignition if you hold them down for three seconds in drive or half a second in park.

Tesla wants you to open the doors electrically most of the time but to pull this obscure cable disguised as not-an-exit when the electrics fail.

Movie theaters have lit exit signs. Tesla prefers the hidden bookshelf-door thing from the movie "Clue."

100%
Tesla isn't a car though, it's a software product that they cobbled a car together around.

 

[edyvw]

I am gonna take a swag and say BITOG members could figure out how to open a Tesla door... I have faith in you!

I am going to take a swag that some BITOG members obviously don't know that when the brain detects a threat, it blocks most of its functions and enters fight or flight mode that relies on memorized knowledge.
But, on the other hand, people should be privileged to burn in Tesla.

 

[SumGuy]

I know that adding more tech to something to overcome or correct a situation usually doesn't work well in practice, but one thing that could be done here is that when the air bags go off, the doors get a signal (at the same time that the airbags go off) to unlock or even open say 10 or 20 seconds later. Maybe that means you have to have a hi-capacity cap in the door module so it has some power during / after a collision to remain functional during that time. Or maybe the windows come down automatically, or both. I know it won't help every crash situation, like when the door frame is jammed.

At the very least, the doors should unlock, the exterior handles should allow rescuers to open the doors. I have pretty much zero knowledge of Teslas, but I think I heard that the exterior handles are also motorized / not normally accessible?

Car accidents in all types of modern passenger vehicles, is way more survivable today, it's sad that self-extrication in Teslas seems to be a problem.

 

[edyvw]

I know that adding more tech to something to overcome or correct a situation usually doesn't work well in practice, but one thing that could be done here is that when the air bags go off, the doors get a signal (at the same time that the airbags go off) to unlock or even open say 10 or 20 seconds later. Maybe that means you have to have a hi-capacity cap in the door module so it has some power during / after a collision to remain functional during that time. Or maybe the windows come down automatically, or both. I know it won't help every crash situation, like when the door frame is jammed.

At the very least, the doors should unlock, the exterior handles should allow rescuers to open the doors. I have pretty much zero knowledge of Teslas, but I think I heard that the exterior handles are also motorized / not normally accessible?

Car accidents in all types of modern passenger vehicles, is way more survivable today, it's sad that self-extrication in Teslas seems to be a problem.

Instead of all that, how about this:

It's really not complicated! If you know someone at Tesla, tell them I will give them a free tutorial on how it works. It seems to be a very high hill to climb for them.

 

[JeffKeryk]

It's really not complicated! If you know someone at Tesla, tell them I will give them a free tutorial on how it works. It seems to be a very high hill to climb for them.

I'm sure they want your sage advice, as they are now worth more than the next what, 20 car companies combined?
About 5x 2nd place Toyota...

On the other hand, you're a pretty smart guy; I'm pretty sure you can open a Tesla car door...

 

[edyvw]

I'm sure they want your sage advice, as they are now worth more than the next what, 20 car companies combined?
About 5x 2nd place Toyota...

On the other hand, you're a pretty smart guy; I'm pretty sure you can open a Tesla car door...

Siri, what is a Cult?

 

[Jokester]

Siri, what is a Cult?

Yep there's a handful that drink the Testard Kool-Aid... Technology clearly has a useful place, but will never replace the mechanical/analog devices in life that simply work when you need it to.

 

[Bailes1992]

One of these is on every keychain I own. Spring loaded glass breaker and seatbelt cutter, in the size of a car key, for $10. Whether it’s for me, saving a stranger, or never having to use it, it’s worth it.

https://resqme.com/shop-now/

As someone with ADHD, having this on my keys wouldn't end well.

 

[camrydriver111]

I can stort of understand Tesla's logic. If you have regular turn signals and manual release you might think you're in an automotive product. If it's all electronic then it validates the notion that Tesla is a tech company. Tech companies warrant a much higher stock price valuation than automotive ones.

The front release seems east enough, but the rear release in the Model Y is located inside the door pocket under a plastic cover. I am guessing this is for child protection?

 

[Torrid]

Good grief these cars cause some anger. I have friends that I'm apparently not friends with anymore after posting my new car on Facebook.

The things you're all complaining about aren't even true if you honestly got in the car and looked at it. The correct response was name calling, insults, and incendiary comments though. Good show.

But, on the other hand, people should be privileged to burn in Tesla.

You're better than this.

 

[CarlB]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news.../texas-man-dog-die-trapped-corvette/71053474/

 

[Bailes1992]

Good grief these cars cause some anger. I have friends that I'm apparently not friends with anymore after posting my new car on Facebook.

I think a lot of the people feel like they're going to be forced down the EV route they don't want to go down and Tesla were the first manufacturer to sell a half-decent EV.

I dislike EV's, but only because I love internal combustion engines. I find them characterful and I like maintaining them. However, for a lot of people who don't cover great miles and/or don't care about the mechanics or the driving experience then they are ideal.