A woman in Arizona has shared her unexpected experience of being trapped inside her Tesla after the car's battery died.
A Tesla owner was trapped inside her out-of-battery car despite being fully charged at the time.
Diane, the woman in question, had owned a Tesla Model Y for about 3 years and had never had any issues with it.
However, last month, she encountered a terrifying situation where she was unable to open the car doors after unplugging the charger.
Diane stated that her car was fully charged at the time. When she got into the car and closed the door, all of the vehicle's functions shut down, she couldn't open the windows or unlock the doors, leaving her trapped inside.
She tried to find the owner's manual to figure out how to get out but was unable to open the glove compartment to retrieve it.
Woman criticizes Elon Musk after being trapped in out-of-battery Tesla
Diane called a friend for help, but they also couldn't find a way to get her out of the vehicle. Diane then contacted Tesla's emergency roadside assistance.
The company eventually sent her a text message, informing her about a 'secret latch' inside the car door that would allow her to exit. She described the experience as scary and very unnerving.
Even after this incident, Diane said she had spoken to many other Tesla owners who were unaware of this safety feature.
She believes Elon Musk and his Tesla company should provide more detailed information about this important feature to its drivers.
Diane also suggested that when a Tesla's battery dies, the doors and windows should automatically unlock, rather than locking the occupant inside.
This incident quickly gained public attention, sparking numerous discussions about Elon Musk's Tesla electric cars.
We're living in the absolute dumbest times, one user said.
I'm not even a Tesla owner and I know that handle is there, lmao. Dumb people, the second user said.
"Secret handle" that all my passengers accidentally pull instead of the electronic button . It's not hidden and actually very natural to grab, the third user commented.
This is why when you buy a vehicle with electronic latches, you read the owner's manual before you get into a situation like this or inquire if there are emergency door releases. Note that other vehicles can have electronic latches, it is not just Tesla, another explained.
I love how the people dumb enough to buy these cars can't figure out how to operate them on a basic level, someone wrote.
This is not the first time Tesla owners encountered a bad experience with their vehicle.
In June 2024, a woman named Brianna Janel shared a TikTok video about her terrifying experience of being stuck in her Tesla car for 40 minutes in 103°F (39.4°C) heat.
Brianna explained that she had decided to update her vehicle's system while parked at a Chick-fil-A lot, but the process took longer than expected.
Tesla vehicle software updates typically take around 30 minutes, but in Brianna's case, the update only lasted 24 minutes.
However, during the update, Brianna found herself trapped inside the car, unable to open the doors or windows for fear of potentially damaging the vehicle.
Briana was forced to endure the extreme conditions inside the car, concerned about running out of air.
After 40 minutes, Briana finally managed to exit the vehicle and turn on the air conditioning, feeling much more comfortable.
Following the incident, Brianna shared advice with other Tesla owners, suggesting they should not attempt to update the software while inside the car.
Instead, she recommended performing such updates at 2 a.m., as she often does.
