A US toddler was trapped in a Tesla after its battery died without warning amid record heat waves – ‘safety comes last’ at Tesla, expert says
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Michael Brooks, the executive director for nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, told Fortune that a toddler trapped in a car, in the Arizona heat, can become critically endangered in 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, many children die in hot cars.
By Eva Roytburg
June 21, 2024
A 20-month old girl in Arizona was recently locked inside a Tesla Model Y after the car’s battery died, creating a “life threatening situation” in which firefighters had to break open the door with an axe to rescue her.
Renee Sanchez, the girl’s grandmother, loaded the girl into her car seat for a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. After she closed the rear door, though, Sanchez went around to the front of her car only to find the door wouldn’t open: The car was dead.
“I could not get in. My phone key wouldn’t open it. My card key wouldn’t open it,” she told local news network AZFamily.
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