[Fulgerite]

So... Perhaps doors that depend 100% on electrical power to open may not be such a great idea in some circumstances?

SEE: http://jalopnik.com/tesla-model-x-owner-pulled-from-car-after-falcon-doors-1794592884

Call me crazy? But I think I might like to be able to open my DOOR and get OUT after a severe accident, or perhaps driving the car into salt water... which would completely short circuit all electrical functions. (Including door actuators.)

I think fully mechanical door releases MUST be required on ALL cars. No car should be sold that does not have a mechanical door release.

 

[saghost]

So... Perhaps doors that depend 100% on electrical power to open may not be such a great idea in some circumstances?

SEE: http://jalopnik.com/tesla-model-x-owner-pulled-from-car-after-falcon-doors-1794592884

Call me crazy? But I think I might like to be able to open my DOOR and get OUT after a severe accident, or perhaps driving the car into salt water... which would completely short circuit all electrical functions. (Including door actuators.)

I think fully mechanical door releases MUST be required on ALL cars. No car should be sold that does not have a mechanical door release.

All Tesla models have mechanical releases on all doors from the inside. On the X, the FWD releases are under the speaker grills. On the S, the rear releases are at the front bottom of the rear seat.

 

[Mister Dave]

Not sure if you read the whole article:

The Falcon doors on the Model X do have an emergency release for situations like the one Lee found herself in. There’s a manual pull hidden behind the speaker grill down by your knees for opening the electrically-operated vertical doors in the case that there’s no power. This is detailed in the owner’s manual in the car itself.

They claim the doors were jammed shut, but that can happen with any door. Perhaps this type of door is more inclined to jam, but some sort of evidence should be provided before making such a claim.

 

[Raymondjram]

I see that a vertical opening door is harder to open than a horizontal door because without power you are working against gravity. As for vertical doors, the DeLorean DMC-12 uses preloaded tension bars in the roof. Those bars take up the weight and will open under the same conditions. So the DMC-12 is a safer car than the Model X.

Second, how did that Model X get into a fire? Does its battery pack suffer the same weakness that the Model S has?

 

[Qinsp]

We had the same issue with our ZR1. The locks are electronic. You have the find the release to get the door open if you have an electrical problem.

 

[Chris TX]

This can happen to any vehicle that has electronic locks, and the occupants don't know where the emergency opening mechanisms are:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news.../texas-man-dog-die-trapped-corvette/71053474/

As for the Model X, there are gas struts that give some lift to the doors, making them not 100% weighed down in the event of power loss.

 

[Rampage_Rick]

Because the doors on traditional cars never jam...

Oh wait, we've only had these around for 45 years:

 

[accelerus]

Read the article -- owner was too lazy/too stupid to read the owners manual and know how to operate the car. Lines right up with him being too lazy to even drive himself (his chauffeur was driving) Vertical doors or not, there's manual release, gas struts compensating the weight, it's no different in terms of safety than any other car. Either way, in an accident where things get crumpled and mangled... there's zero guarantee that the door is going to open if things have been folded in. Tesla is basically *the* safest car you can get on the road, are people really that stupid to think it's going to be this magical jesus car where everything still works after you bounce it off a guardrail?

The owner is seeking $1 million from Tesla... I can't wait for them to tell him to pound sand. They were being driven by their chauffeur, and hit a guardrail at a very high rate of speed. Why don't they sue the driver since he wasn't paying attention? Oh that's right, they just want a free payday.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

As for the Model X, there are gas struts that give some lift to the doors, making them not 100% weighed down in the event of power loss.

Exactly. Nobody thinks that powered rear liftgates can't be opened manually.

 

[Bacardi]

No car should be sold that does not have a mechanical door release.

Tesla is way ahead of you, this isn't the first time Tesla's blown someones mind...

 

[flyingsherpa]

I see that a vertical opening door is harder to open than a horizontal door because without power you are working against gravity. As for vertical doors, the DeLorean DMC-12 uses preloaded tension bars in the roof. Those bars take up the weight and will open under the same conditions. So the DMC-12 is a safer car than the Model X.

Lol, no. I know which car I'd rather be in during an accident.

Second, how did that Model X get into a fire? Does its battery pack suffer the same weakness that the Model S has?

Did you read the article? The other car involved (a regular ICE car) also caught fire. It was a high-speed crash, fires can and do happen in all cars.

I know you love blaming Tesla no matter what, so I assume you'll also blame GM for a similar design that lead to the death of this poor guy and his dog, right? Oh wait, GM is perfect and can do no wrong, I forgot...

 

[mike100]

A year or so ago, a guy died inside his Corvette C6 (when his 12v battery failed) due to a combination of heat, a medical event/panic, and not knowing that the door release was right there next to the seat track on the floor. Until all cars standardize on such features, this will continue to occasionally trap people.

 

[Dakster]

I don't know why the "life hammer" isn't standardized in cars either. Has a seat belt cutter and a center punch for the window in it. I put them in my cars. It won't easily break out the windshield, but your other glass should shatter into little squares and it works even if the car is submerged under water. It doesn't work as well if you put SECURITY film/tint on the car though. You can still get trapped inside, even with it, but there are a bunch of scenarios where that could save your life.

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/p...ntent=125694&gclid=CPDo64OawNMCFYKCaQodRH8NQg

(I've never ordered anything from this company, just one of the first google hits I got for what I was talking about)

I'll second even regular cars doors jamb shut, power windows don't work under salt water either. Ever tried to open a door under water - it isn't easy until the entire car is full of water and by that time, unless you've practiced this, you are in a panic.

 

[Aus1]

Tesla is way ahead of you, this isn't the first time Tesla's blown someones mind...

Yes Tesla has.

GM Volt 1 does NOT - even for the hatch area which is wrong.
Why when the door lock pins go down, there is NO way to reach them in a power failure situation.
Hence I carry a window breaker in the glove box.

GM are not the only ones incompetent, I remember an Auto journalist in Sydney with his wife and kid in a High end
Porsche that would not release them that lost power and was NOT involved in an accident.
The tow truck driver with Porsche's permission had to smash a window to extract all the trapped occupants.

Scary huh! Tesla knows Gulf wing doors are harder to open especially after a crash, but at least they thought about it vs GM.

 

[TSquare]

GM Volt 1 does NOT - even for the hatch area which is wrong.
Why when the door lock pins go down, there is NO way to reach them in a power failure situation.
Hence I carry a window breaker in the glove box.

This is absolutely false. With the doors locked, one pull on the handle will unlock the door, then a second pull on the handle will open the door. And this is in the manual under (wait for it) Door Locks.

 

[saghost]

This is absolutely false. With the doors locked, one pull on the handle will unlock the door, then a second pull on the handle will open the door. And this is in the manual under (wait for it) Door Locks.

You're right about the front doors. Any idea what happens on the rear doors with the child locks set and no power? Also, the only way I knew of to open the hatch involves a screwdriver...

 

[Qinsp]

You open the driver's door, pop the hood, attach any 12v power source, and unlock everything. Then replace the battery in the hatch floor.
There are cheap 12v Li emergency start kits now that fit almost anywhere. About the size of a small novel.

The real problem is doors that trap you inside like the Corvette, Tesla, and many other new cars. It's the price we pay for laziness and lawyers. Keys are dangerous, they kill about 1 out of 1,000,000 car owners.

 

[Aus1]

Ok I fall on my sword on this one, I was wrong.
Tested it today by disconnection of 12V.
Yes the front and rear do work mechanically to release the lock and the door.
For rear doors this does not work when 12v is present and child locks are active.

I wish GM would describe it better in the service manuals

HAPPY it does have manual override with two pulls.��

 

[TSquare]

Yes you are correct when you have 12V power avail.
What happens when say a fuse blows on the door lock circuit? OOPs
If the Power fails those lock pins will not come up I see no mention in the service manual of mechanical only overide for the front doors:

Maybe it is different in Australia (I doubt it) but here in the US, when I pull the door opening handle with the doors locked, the first pull MECHANICALLY raises the lock button. No electric power is needed.

From the manual:

To lock or unlock the doors from
inside the vehicle:
. Press LOCK or UNLOCK on the power door
lock switch.
. Push down the manual lock
knob on the driver door to lock
all doors. Push down the manual
lock knob on a passenger door
to lock only that door.
. Pull an interior door handle to
unlock the door. Pull the door
handle again to unlatch it.

 

[Aus1]

Maybe it is different in Australia (I doubt it) but here in the US, when I pull the door opening handle with the doors locked, the first pull MECHANICALLY raises the lock button. No electric power is needed.

From the manual:

To lock or unlock the doors from
inside the vehicle:
. Press LOCK or UNLOCK on the power door
lock switch.
. Push down the manual lock
knob on the driver door to lock
all doors. Push down the manual
lock knob on a passenger door
to lock only that door.
. Pull an interior door handle to
unlock the door. Pull the door
handle again to unlatch it.

Ta thanks for correcting me, in the end I did a real live experiment and you are correct they have mechanical override! Cheers !