In Scottsdale, Arizona, a terrifying incident unfolded when a 20-month-old toddler got trapped in a hot Tesla after the vehicle’s battery died unexpectedly. Renee Sanchez, the child’s grandmother, described the situation as potentially “deadly” to AZFamily.
A routine outing turns perilous
Sanchez was preparing for a trip to the Phoenix Zoo, securing her granddaughter in her car seat before shutting the back door and moving to the driver’s side. However, she found herself locked out, unable to open the driver’s door as the car had completely shut down. “My car was dead,” Sanchez said. “I could not get in. My phone key wouldn’t open it. My card key wouldn’t open it.”
Unexpected battery failure
The Tesla service department later confirmed that Sanchez had not received any alerts about the battery’s imminent failure, despite the vehicle’s system designed to issue three warnings before the battery needs recharging. “When that battery goes, you’re dead in the water,” Sanchez stated.
Tesla vehicles are equipped with a hidden latch on the driver’s side armrest to manually unlock the door in case of battery failure, but this only works from inside the car. For those stuck outside, the process involves a complex series of steps with wires and battery chargers, which even many first responders are unaware of.
Scottsdale firefighters, unfamiliar with the emergency procedure for Teslas, arrived on the scene but initially struggled to gain access to the vehicle. “They need to educate the first responders because they had no idea,” Sanchez emphasized. “The first thing they said was, ‘Uggh, it’s a Tesla. We can’t get in these cars,’” she recalled. Sanchez urged them to break the window, prioritizing her granddaughter’s safety over the car.
A dramatic rescue
Firefighters taped over the window to prevent glass from falling on the child and successfully broke into the vehicle, rescuing the toddler. “She was OK for the first few minutes,” Sanchez recounted. “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, previously an avid supporter of Teslas, now questions their safety. “I give Tesla props. When it works, it’s great. But when it doesn’t, it can be deadly,” she remarked.
This incident comes as Tesla faces significant changes within the company. CEO Elon Musk has reduced the global workforce by over 14 percent since the beginning of 2024. An internal email dated June 17 revealed the company now employs approximately 121,000 people, including temporary workers, down from 140,473 at the end of 2022.