"The complaints detail owners' experiences with a 12 V power failure and inoperable doors, trapping children or dogs in cars on hot days. In most cases, the car suffered a power failure after the parent had placed the child in the back seat, and in four instances, the only way to free the trapped occupants was by breaking a window."
"NHTSA notes that while there are manual emergency door releases, "a child may not be able to access or operate the releases even if the vehicle's driver is aware of them." To make matters worse, NHTSA says that none of the reported complaints say they saw a low voltage warning light before the 12 V battery failed. The agency also criticizes the complicated process required to start a Tesla with off-board 12 V power,"
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation received nine complaints about model year 2021 Tesla Model Y 12 V battery failures that left doors inoperable. The failures trapped children or dogs in cars on hot days. In most reports the power loss occurred after a parent placed a child in the back seat; in four cases occupants were freed only by breaking a window. Manual emergency door releases are present, but a child may not be able to access or operate them. None of the complaints reported a low-voltage warning light before the 12 V battery failed. Starting a Tesla with off-board 12 V power requires applying 12 volts DC to two exterior points, a process described as complicated and potentially unfamiliar to owners.
Read at Ars Technica
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