From the article:

The man is blaming the automaker even though the manual door opener was under his left hand the whole time.

A man in Arizona says that he was recently trapped in his Tesla after getting in, closing the door, and then realizing that his battery was dead. What he didnā€™t know is that the manual release for the door was under his left hand the whole time. Now, heā€™s blaming the automaker and raising awareness.

Rick Meggison, 73, says that Tesla needs to address what he calls a ā€œsafety concernā€ involving how to exit the car when the battery dies. The main door latch actuator on all Tesla models is electronic so if the 12-volt battery dies it wonā€™t work. To ensure safe exit of the vehicle Tesla includes a manual release. Meggison didnā€™t know about that and ended up trapped in his car for 20 minutes on a hot day.

ā€œI couldnā€™t open the doors. I couldnā€™t lower the windows. The computer was dead, so I couldnā€™t open the glove box. I couldnā€™t open anything,ā€ he told ABC7. Of course, he couldā€™ve opened the door in about two seconds had he known that the manual release was just ahead of his window switches. His situation has many wondering whoā€™s to blame in situations like this.

  • 2ez@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    When someone is panicking, the nonstandard design will really shine.

      • 2ez@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Have you read your carā€™s manual cover to cover?

        I hope youā€™re not responsible for designing products, because intuitive product design is important. Requiring a manual to understand a potentially life-saving feature of your vehicle, because the manufacturer chose form over functionā€¦ listen to yourself.

        Hereā€™s another great solution: donā€™t let your car battery die (/s)

        • haych@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          Yes, I have 2 cars, Iā€™ve read both manuals.

          Iā€™m not saying I agree with with the bad for handles, but manuals for a big death machine should be read anyway, and if he did heā€™d know how to open a door.

          • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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            8 months ago

            I know this is 8 months old, but are you seriously arguing people should read a carā€™s manual to know how to open the door?

            Any door that requires the user to read a manual is a terrible design.

            • haych@lemmy.one
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              8 months ago

              You misunderstand. Iā€™m saying every car owner should read the manual for their car. Buy a new car, read the manual, it contains a lot of useful information whether you drive a crappy Tesla or not.