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Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

myelectricsparks.com

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Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#51

Post by trinix912 »

ndiddy wrote: post #2

Another similar incident happened around a week after that one: https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-county-sheriffs-office... . One thing to note is that the car doors in Teslas are electrically controlled and a different failsafe method of opening the doors is required when the electrical system isn't working. Here's the steps for manually opening the Model Y's rear doors (car in the story the post links to): http…

> Note that this involves removing the rear carpet in the Model S and the door pocket mat in the Model Y

Seriously? How many people would be capable of pulling this stunt off in a burning vehicle filled with smoke? Especially considering the fact that in this case the vehicle was packed (5 people in it)--it's hard enough to get your own feet out of the way.

If this passes the safety regulations, those regulations should be changed. Not just expecting car manufacturers to do it out of their good will because they won't.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#52

Post by teruakohatu »

snapetom wrote: post #29
debo_ wrote: post #12

I'm waiting for a new regulation that requires all EVs to have a sledgehammer in the passenger cabin.

For a long time, I lived in an area with a lot of creeks and rivers. Since my first car with electric windows and locks, I keep something like this: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Emergency-Cutter-Window-... in the glove box or center console. Call me paranoid, but I don't trust the electronic system to work if my car is sinking.

Don’t Tesla gloves boxes require the touch screen to open?

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#53

Post by ch1234 »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #20

I’ll leave a thought that isn’t a Tesla criticism (because the others are good): everybody should carry a lifehammer in their car. If not for saving your own life, it might come in handy for saving somebody else’s. https://www.amazon.com/Lifehammer-Brand-Safety-Hammer-Nether... Don’t buy the cheap Chinese knockoffs.

I don't buy safety/medical products from Amazon. There was a time (maybe even today still) where those products go into a big bin with no verification of who the actual supplier was (1st vs 3rd party). I don't know how to verify if the issue has been resolved today, but life-critical items such as tourniquets, meds, etc. are expected to be 100% made by the supplier. Unfortunately, the money in the industry is so big that "cheap Chinese knockoffs" are being sold as high-quality replicas, even though they may not meet all the required specs.

There were many cases a few years ago of people buying branded tourniquets, only to be sold fake ones. The item looked genuine, but the integrity of the plastic could not maintain the pressures needed and broke. An emergency is not the time to realize that mistake.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#54

Post by OptionOfT »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #20

I’ll leave a thought that isn’t a Tesla criticism (because the others are good): everybody should carry a lifehammer in their car. If not for saving your own life, it might come in handy for saving somebody else’s. https://www.amazon.com/Lifehammer-Brand-Safety-Hammer-Nether... Don’t buy the cheap Chinese knockoffs.

https://www.lifehammerproducts.com/app/uploads/2024/06/20240...

Lifehammers don't work on laminated glass, like your front windshield (that would be bad, as it would mean a rock chip would shatter your window).

But more and more manufactures are putting in laminated side windows in their cars both for comfort (noise) and rollover protection, so Lifehammers don't work there either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptaIBTyiKkc

I believe in the USA lots of tests are actually done without seatbelts, and this makes the requirements harder to meet.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#55

Post by davrosthedalek »

eptcyka wrote: post #38
stouset wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s still a second mechanical release so this is strictly more complicated than simply having a mechanical system to begin with.

Routing the mechanical linkage to a place in the door that would make sense for a door handle to be is the difficult and expensive part.

Bowden cables are dirt cheap.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#56

Post by proee »

crazygringo wrote: post #10

> Tesla has faced criticism in the past for the design of its manual release levers, which are considered poorly designed and unintuitively placed. These emergency measures require intimate knowledge of the car, something that may not be feasible in a panic situation. First, how is this remotely legal? Are there not safety standards to ensure adults can easily exit a vehicle on fire? Second, regardless of regulations…

This seems like a huge failure on the part of the NTSB. Tesla is getting a lot of attention for this incident, but are there other manufactures that would have had the exact same problem given this same incident?

The entire point of organizations like the NTSB is to prevent unsafe cars from going into production.

The NTSB has given this type of door opening a green light. WHY?

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#58

Post by jeffbee »

giantg2 wrote: post #39
ndiddy wrote: post #2

Another similar incident happened around a week after that one: https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-county-sheriffs-office... . One thing to note is that the car doors in Teslas are electrically controlled and a different failsafe method of opening the doors is required when the electrical system isn't working. Here's the steps for manually opening the Model Y's rear doors (car in the story the post links to): http…

"Tesla didn't account at all for what happens ..." Tesla might not have, but you can. Always have a glass breaker and seatbelt cutter in your vehicle. Doors get crumpled and can't open regardless of make/model.

"Police say area man had burglary tools and weapons in his vehicle at the time of the arrest..."

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#59

Post by Upvoter33 »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #20

I’ll leave a thought that isn’t a Tesla criticism (because the others are good): everybody should carry a lifehammer in their car. If not for saving your own life, it might come in handy for saving somebody else’s. https://www.amazon.com/Lifehammer-Brand-Safety-Hammer-Nether... Don’t buy the cheap Chinese knockoffs.

This isn't a solution though; the driver of an uber may have a lifehammer somewhere, but the passengers don't know about it. It is simply criminal not to have an obvious way to open the door.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#60

Post by tirant »

dagmx wrote: post #14
nemomarx wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why are the doors electronically controlled to start with? is it cost savings?

A lot of cars have electronically controlled doors. It’s due to the frameless windows. Opening the door requires the windows to roll down slightly to avoid damage to the outer trim. The doors still have a mechanical release so there’s no cost savings involved. For the front door they’re right next to the electronic release. For the rear doors they’re hidden under the passenger door pocket. Edit: to everyone replying…

Most current BMWs with frameless windows still have mechanical door openings (e.g. BMW i4).
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