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Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

cnbc.com

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Re: Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

#2
>tried to unlock and open the doors but had to force his way out of the vehicle, as the locks seemed to malfunction. After he left the car, it began to move on its own

If this is true it's not great news. I wonder, does the parking pawl engage at power-off?

Re: Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

#4
post #2

>tried to unlock and open the doors but had to force his way out of the vehicle, as the locks seemed to malfunction. After he left the car, it began to move on its own If this is true it's not great news. I wonder, does the parking pawl engage at power-off?

It's supposed to engage Park if the driver's door is open and weight is removed from the driver's seat.

Re: Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

#6

I'm not sure I'd buy a car without a single mechanical interior door handle. Sure, there might be a mechanical backup to the electronic door handle. But will I remember to use it in an emergency?

When friends are in my car they almost always use the emergency mechanical handle instead of the electronic one and I always have to remember to show them how to open the door the non-emergency way.

Re: Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

#7
post #6

I'm not sure I'd buy a car without a single mechanical interior door handle. Sure, there might be a mechanical backup to the electronic door handle. But will I remember to use it in an emergency?

When friends are in my car they almost always use the emergency mechanical handle instead of the electronic one and I always have to remember to show them how to open the door the non-emergency way.

Is there a downside to using the emergency handle? I'd generally prefer to use that as my standard way of getting out of the car.

In the event of an emergency I'd rather have muscle memory for the emergency exit, rather than have to do something unusual.

Re: Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

#8
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When friends are in my car they almost always use the emergency mechanical handle instead of the electronic one and I always have to remember to show them how to open the door the non-emergency way.

Is there a downside to using the emergency handle? I'd generally prefer to use that as my standard way of getting out of the car. In the event of an emergency I'd rather have muscle memory for the emergency exit, rather than have to do something unusual.

When you press the button, the window rolls down slightly before the door latch is opened. This prevents you from putting stress on the window when you push the door to open it.

When you use the handle, the door latch opens and the window rolls down slightly and there’s a larger period of time where you can push the door and put stress on the window. So the danger with using the handle is that you _might_ damage the windows if you aggressively open the door, but the button will not.

Re: Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while driver was at the wheel, says fire chief

#10
post #2

>tried to unlock and open the doors but had to force his way out of the vehicle, as the locks seemed to malfunction. After he left the car, it began to move on its own If this is true it's not great news. I wonder, does the parking pawl engage at power-off?

It's supposed to engage Park if the driver's door is open and weight is removed from the driver's seat.

Almost. It's supposed to engage park if it's stopped and the driver's door is opened.
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