https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/woman-stuck-tesla-40-minutes-115-degrees-temperature-during-vehicle-update-1724678
Tesla driver stuck in car during software update. Warns others to avoid in-car updates and highlights the importance of knowing manual release features.
Tesla offers manual door releases for situations with depleted power, but Janel opted to wait, fearing potential damage to her car. "Inside my car, it's 103 degrees, so I'm slightly freaking out. I hope I don't run out of air," "I can't open up the doors or the windows otherwise I could potentially damage my car, so I'm just stuck in here roasting like a frickin chicken dripping sweat,"
I hope that I don't die of suffocation and heat, but I can't afford my car breaking if I OPEN THE DOOR in the middle of an update.
She’s a moron. Normally when you open the door, the windows will slide down a half inch so they can clear the weather stripping as the door opens.
The emergency release just opens the door so the window will kind of drag through the weather stripping. I guess if you do this enough, it could damage the rubber seal. The car will warn you about it if you open the door that way, but by no means is it worth sweating to death in a car to avoid.
The one time I rode in a tesla, the car showed an angry message on the center screen because I opened the door with the door handle and that was wrong somehow. Apparently there's a secret second door handle that doesn't damage the weatherstripping.
Most car manufacturers have this figured out, they quite cleverly make the normal door handle and the manual release be the same handle.
It's not a secret door handle, it's a button with a picture of an open car door on it . The problem is that the emergency latch is closer to where a normal door handle is, so people looking down for the handle see it first. The button is just a little further forward and a little higher than people expect, so they always miss it.
It's still a bad design.
Different design philosophies. Fewer moving parts, fewer things to break.
One thing I’ve heard is that Tesla has plans to detect oncoming hazards and not allow the door to open if, say, a car or bicycle is approaching nearby. More difficult if there’s always a physical link between the handle and door latch.
Fewer moving parts, fewer things to break.
You are talking about a regular door handle, which tends to last for many, many decades without failing, right?
Electronics are far, far more likely to fail than physical links.
Until like 2022, Tesla door handles cost 600 dollars and had 9 contact sensors, 4 motors, and a controller board, all exposed to moisture. They had a very high failure rate.
Today, they have 2 magnetic sensors, 2 motors, and a control board, with less exposure to moisture. They still have a high failure rate, they still cost 600 dollars.
My 1998 Toyota Corolla where the inside and outside driver-side door handles broke begs to differ.
And a 1998 Corolla cost $27,500 new (in today's dollars). A 2024 Corolla is now $22,000. Actually a good deal comparatively.
Having one handle to open the door is a better implementation of that philosophy than two entirely separate door opening systems.
How does it work exactly? If you pull normally, it opens electrically, if you pull harder and further then it opens mechanically?
There could be a sensor that detects the handle being pulled before the handle starts to engage the mechanical release. As soon as the handle has moved the minimum distance (or had the minimum force applied), the windows could move down and the actuator moves the door mechanism before the handle even engages with it.
Solenoids have been a thing for actuating door latches since the 50s. As it turns out in the last 70 years most manufacturers realized they were less reliable than the basic mechanical latches used on almost every car.
What she did was stupid, but its really easy for people to push themselves thinking they are fine until they suddenly aren't. I'm sure she was thinking she could just open the door when it got too bad.
So instead of opening the door when it got too hot, she made a 40min Tik Tok that has been watched by more than 30mil viewers, documenting her fear for suffocating or having a heat stroke
Seriously. Reminds me of radio recordings of aspyxiated pilots. If it gets too bad, then it's already over. Pilots who unknowingly run out of oxygen just sit there zoned out not realizing that is happening and they are trained professionals!
So obviously, fuck Teslas.
But it says she didn't used the manual release because she thought it might somehow hurt her car?
And she didn't update it for 6 years and choose waiting for a Chick-fil-A order was the right time, even tho she expected it to take 24 minutes?
Like, what kind of Chick-fil-A takes 24 minutes to make an order, she knew it would be ready before it's done.
This is one of those situations where there's no victim, she's an idiot but Tesla's suck
According to the article she did update the car before. She just used to have it done at night, and this is the first time she was in the car during an update.
40 minutes is a hell of a long time for a software update though.
She's 100% an idiot. When a Tesla needs updating it gives you the option between scheduling it later (by default 2am) or doing it now. When you select do it now it specifically warns you some features may NOT be available and list both the HVAC and doors.
At first glance yes but if they are updating the portion of the code involving the door it makes perfect sense why you shouldn't use the door. Also keep in mind the manual release is always available even during an update.
portion of the code involving the door
It is a door
A door
Why did they design a door that needs a computer to unlatch without damaging the weather proofing. Every other car I’ve been in has been able to open the door without needing a computer to adjust the windows.
I'll admit the whole window needing to roll down to open the door is fucking stupid. However tesla isn't the only manufacturer that needs a computer to operate the doors. A lot of flush mount and pop out door handles designs (especially those with automatic present) requires a computer to function as intended. Ioniq 5/EV6 and both rivians are ones that come to mind.
I could imagine how you could make an entirely electro-mechanical setup to handle the Tesla doors, and probably make them more reliable in turn.
But yeah, everything being controlled by a computer is becoming more and more common.
For the Ioniq 5 and EV6, the computerised portion is not required though. On the lower trim levels the door handles are simply spring loaded, and you have to push the front of the handle, to lever it out to grab. On the higher trim levels there's a motor to push the handle out, but it's still just spring loaded, so nothing is stopping you from levering it out just like on the lower trim levels. Pulling the handle is exactly the same as pulling the handle in any other car, it just mechanically opens the door. And there's a fully mechanical lock as well. The door handle on the inside is also entirely mechanical.
Here you can see how the handle and lock works if the car is entirely dead (at 1:38) https://youtu.be/Lv6wwn8m-8U&t=98
I like how Hyundai have managed to add all the nifty features and conveniences with electronics and computers, without compromising the mechanical reliability.
At first glance yes but if they are updating the portion of the code involving the door it makes perfect sense why you shouldn’t use the door.
No, that is stupid.
The button connected to the door should be a completely separate circuit which will not shut down ever. Sure, if you additionally want communication between the main computer and the doors, you can add it. But the doors should not depend on that computer. Basic redundancy and separation of concerns.
She is dumb for not using the manual release but why the fuck does it take 40 minutes to do an update?
Have you ever run a software upgrade to another brand of car? I was once present when a BMW was updated and it took 40 minutes to scan the CAN for all of the control network members, after which the update could start.
Shitty design is still shitty design, even if all car makers are bad at it.
And I'd bet it comes down to hardware decisions that ended up saving tiny percentages of the total cost.
It's more the opposite. The hardware level updaters, are usually small pieces of non-updateable code called bootloaders. These are purposefully made small, slow, and ROBUST. They do parity checks on everything, status checks, store local copies of data transfer in weird esoteric ways to not be disturbed during the actual update.
The issue is that you can make it work 99% of the time without issue way faster. But bricking a car that then has to be towed for free to a service center and flashed is super expensive. So the fix is slow and robust updates that happen when the user isn't even there.
LOL my cars are from 1988, 1999 and 2003. I don't get updates. I do have to do a lot of repairs, but no updates.
This was a car from early noughties, so some of them do get updates, but yea, probably not anymore.
Edit: and you need to have factory diagnostics tools to install them.
Yep, my ford took 25 minutes to do the update that added Android Auto, after 2 minutes of downloading it to a USB stick. The car only has USB 2.0, so that could be a factor though
My VW Passat took the whole two hours it took me to drive to my parents house. Had to sit in their drive for 15 minutes for it to complete.
It was just a maps update from DVD.
Is it me or does this seem staged? Or do I just automatically assume that when something gets 30 million views and the person looks like they brought in a stylist first.
Understandably, she grew anxious about running out of air as the windows wouldn't roll down.
Didn't know Teslas were air sealed... 🤣
You don't remember Musk talking about biohazard mode? If you aren't a nerdy user that tries to understand all the details, it might be easy to confuse.
Oh, you are right. The fact that air-conditioning (which is the basis for the biohazard mode) was disabled due to the software update was absolutely not mentioned neither in the article, nor the video.
By the way, nice gatekeeping.
Tesla offers manual door releases for situations with depleted power, but Janel opted to wait, fearing potential damage to her car.
Are Teslas made from tracing paper? How would manually opening the door damage her car?
Normally, when you want to open the door, you push the door button, the door window drops and opens an inch or so, clearing to door seals. The emergency door releases force the windows through the door seals without the window drop. If you do that too much, you'll damage the door seals. If you do it rarely, it doesn't matter.
That sounds like a horrible design for a car door lol. Did they not see how all the other car doors worked before they built theirs?
Yeah you should see the problems with Tesla's and water in the air vent system. They can't handle rain or car washes very well cause the dipshits who designed em never bothered to look at how actual car designers dealt with keeping water out of the venting system.
Other car doors with frameless windows are the same way, what makes their case more special is the electronic latches and other cars with the style of window and electronic latches are the same way as Tesla.
That is normal for frameless window door cars with electric opening door latches.
The emergency handle is only supposed to be used in an emergency, so damage from forcing the past the seal isn't really a concern.
Well that's just shitty car design. Guess that's what you get when you have a bunch of software and computer engineers try to make a car.
Engineering aside, Tesla cars simply have terrible build quality. They're like the Stellantis of the EV market now. Why anyone still buys them new it seems I will never understand.
Lol what a load of shit. This chick is dumb at least 3 ways:
The app and the car warn you that the thing will be unavailable when you select update. GET OUT of the car. Has she never seen the warnings of how fast a car heats up? Like why you can't leave your dog or a kid in the car to run into a store "really quick"?
Literally 2 in every 3 people who ride in your car pull the manual release. It is not a big deal if you don't use it every time. It's as though she's never had a passenger in 6 years. I just don't buy it.
Most importantly, THIS IS WHAT THE MANUAL LATCH IS DESIGNED FOR.
There are many, MANY design features of a Tesla that suck (as anyone who has one will tell you), but article is clickbait from user stupidity. She needs to wear her helmet at all times for not using the feature designed to let her get out at any moment. Even IF she bent the weather stripping, it would cost less than her chicken sandwiches to fix.
You can just tell that most people here only read headlines. There was manual way to open the doors, that she didn't use.
She wasn't in danger for sure, but she also didn't want to risk harming the trim of her already quickly depreciating car. Remember that Tesla, in their infinite design wisdom, decided the window trim should overlap the glass and be fixed. If you use the manual release the door opens without opening the windows, thus bending and risking destroying the window trim.
That's bullshit though. Anybody with a Tesla can tell you that 2 in every 3 people who sit in it WILL pull the manual release to exit. It's not good for the trim and I do correct people, but this is some princess bullshit.
It's also fucking stupid to update the car while you're in it. The app literally tells you that the car will be unavailable.
It’s also fucking stupid to update the car while you’re in it. The app literally tells you that the car will be unavailable.
Why are the car doors hooked up to the central fucking computer?
Why not? There's a required manual latch, which exists. If it reduces cost somehow to have two switches I can't see the downside. It seems like a money losing proposition, but if that were the case I don't know how we got to this situation. Probably it's a nicety to 1) preserve trim sure, but 2) allow more sophisticated automation like "hey you can't open the door when the car is in motion", or other niceties.
The door connects to the computer but there's an available, mandatory failsafe. Nobody is having problems who isn't eating Jesus sandwiches or a box of crayons for lunch.
Why not?
Because its stupid to hook everything up to the central computer. You end up having single points of failure, which is a big no-no in terms of engineering, safety, and good design.
Such as being unable to open your doors when the central computer is updating. Its one thing to lose access to remote locks, radio, or whatever. But we're talking about the damn door handle here. Its very non-intuitive to the typical user that "My infotainment computer running Steam + video games could crash and take my door handles out".
Furthermore, Tesla runs non-critical applications, bugs, logging, and other ancillary services on these systems. Any of these can crash and take out the electronic door handles.
There’s a required manual latch, which exists.
But is non-intutive to use and find, especially the rear doors.
There's a ton of Tesla fires where the central computer has (likely) caught on fire, is burning, and then locks everyone inside of the Tesla. Killing everybody.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/man-burned-alive-fiery-tesla-crash-door-open/story?id=66498159
The widow of a father of five in Florida is suing Tesla after her late husband was burned alive in a Model S when the electronic door handles wouldn't open during a fiery crash, according to court documents.
Because of this shit. Which is a known issue for years.
What if I only read the headline, but I clicked through to the comments to see the fun and varied ways lemmings explained the obvious problem with the headline. Re: The manual door releases
This is why trunks are required to have an emergency opening latch on the inside. Because children fucking died from exactly this.
Whyyyyy do car manufacturers feel it is necessary to drive the car locking mechanism with software? What benefit does this give anyone?
A few bucks off the manufacture price is apparently cheaper than any lawsuits they anticipate.
No way is a computer controlled locking system cheaper to manufacture than a mechanical one... Is it??
A servo is simpler than a full car lock. It has fewer and less complex moving parts. If the car already has a computer, controlling the door with it is cheaper than a dedicated mechanical locking. The difference is slim but you know how bean counters are.
It really wouldn't be that hard to make a system that can update in the background. I feel like for something like a car you should be trying at least that hard.
Tesla offers manual door releases for situations with depleted power, but Janel opted to wait, fearing potential damage to her car. "Inside my car, it's 103 degrees, so I'm slightly freaking out. I hope I don't run out of air," Janel said.
Doors are made of paper?
Car washes ruin them. I wouldn't be surprised at all if opening a door from the inside does something too.
Apparently since the Tesla doors don't have a top frame that swings out with the door glass, the window needs to roll down like an inch when you open the door so the glass won't catch on the trim, and the manual release tries to do it but might not if the power is out which might damage the trim.
What exactly about the manual release damages the car? When my friend got his Model 3 he told me his friends would constantly use the manual release because the normal electronic one was less obvious. His car and doors didn’t break in any of those cases.
On the Model 3, opening too quickly with the manual release can apparently damage the vehicle trim at the top of the window. The manual doesn't give that level of detail, so all many people know is that using the manual release can damage the car.
The Tesla door doesn't have a frame around the window. So to insulate better the car rolls the window up into the seals. When you use the electronic door opener the window rolls down a bit to get out of the seals.
Or critical systems shouldn't be rendered completely inoperable during shit like that.
"what if when windows crashed it could kill you?" -some stoner
"let's find out" -elon musk, probably
They aren't. If you refuse to use the manual release in order to get TikTok views, there's nothing the manufacturer can do.