Toddler trapped in car after Tesla battery dies

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - A toddler was trapped in a Tesla after its battery died.

Renee Sanchez said she loaded her 20-month-old granddaughter into her car seat for a trip to the Phoenix Zoo.

“And I closed the door, went around the car, get in the front seat and my car was dead,” she said. “I could not get in. My phone key wouldn’t open it. My card key wouldn’t open it.”

In a recent story, KPHO explained that when the Tesla battery that operates electronics dies, a hidden latch on the driver’s side armrest will manually unlock the door but in this case, Sanchez was locked out of her Tesla while her granddaughter was trapped inside, buckled into a car seat.

Sanchez immediately called 911 and firefighters responded to the scene.

“And when they got here, the first thing they said was, ‘Ugh, it’s a Tesla. We can’t get in these cars,’” she said. “And I said, ‘I don’t care if you have to cut my car in half. Just get her out.’”

Firefighters were forced to break a window with an axe, but they first covered the window with tape to keep the glass from flying.

Meanwhile, Sanchez’s granddaughter sat alone inside the Tesla, which was getting hotter and hotter.

“She was OK for the first few minutes but as soon as the firemen came and all the commotion started and the windows getting broken into, she started crying because she was scared,” Sanchez said.

A firefighter climbed through the window and pulled the little girl free. They even gave her a little fire hat to calm her down.

“After I knew she was safe, then the anger, then all the thoughts of, ‘Oh my God, this could have been so much worse,’” Sanchez said.

Tesla drivers are supposed to receive three warnings before the battery dies, but Tesla’s service department confirmed that Sanchez did not receive any warnings.

“When that battery goes, you’re dead in the water,” she said.

KPHO learned that there is a way to unlock Tesla when you are locked out, but it’s a complicated series of time-consuming steps involving wires and battery chargers.

Many Tesla owners and firefighters said they are not aware of the process.

“They need to educate the first responders because they had no idea. They were as much in the dark as I was,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez wants to see Tesla add a better option to get into a car with a dead battery.

While she is a big supporter of the company, she said this latest incident has shaken her faith.

“I give Tesla props. When it works, it’s great. But when it doesn’t, it can be deadly,” Sanchez said.

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