Emergency Exit of vehicle during Power Failure

[RLaTerra]

I did not find this specific topic but was curios to see if it is a discussion point.

With the rare stories of EV's overheating and catching fire uncontrollably, or just a complete Electrical malfunction...or any emergency situation that could leave you "trapped" inside the vehicle, is THERE ANY way to open a door? I have this nightmare, during electrical storms, that some event will occur where I lose complete power and will be unable to escape my car!

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[snowy_91]

I dot know, maybe use the inside door handle?

 

[hybrid2bev]

I did not find this specific topic but was curios to see if it is a discussion point.

With the rare stories of EV's overheating and catching fire uncontrollably, or just a complete Electrical malfunction...or any emergency situation that could leave you "trapped" inside the vehicle, is THERE ANY way to open a door? I have this nightmare, during electrical storms, that some event will occur where I lose complete power and will be unable to escape my car!

The front doors have a mechanical release, pull all the way back on the lever. The back doors have capacitors that will work without any power from the vehicle.

 

[Old_Norm]

A Tesla owner locked his key fob in his car. He had to use a coat hanger to get his family out.

 

[Maquis]

A Tesla owner locked his key fob in his car? He had to use a coat hanger to get his family out.

Must be related to blonde who couldn’t get into her convertible when she locked her keys in the car with the top down.

 

[BalsaDust]

Another case of RTFM

 

[luckie]

I did not find this specific topic but was curios to see if it is a discussion point.

With the rare stories of EV's overheating and catching fire uncontrollably, or just a complete Electrical malfunction...or any emergency situation that could leave you "trapped" inside the vehicle, is THERE ANY way to open a door? I have this nightmare, during electrical storms, that some event will occur where I lose complete power and will be unable to escape my car!

And the less rare stories of gasoline cars catching fire causes the same nightmare, definitely want to know how to get out of those too.

 

[ctenidae]

Even Teslas have a mechanical release for emergencies.

I'll admit, though, the section in TFM dealing with opening doors is a bit vague.

Which interior door handle? Can I pull a front one to open a rear door? How do I open the front door? What if I used central unlock (covered on the next page) and unlocked the doors? Does that affect the first pull, which is intended to unlock the door?

You can't be expected to think through all this in an emergency situation!

 

[generaltso]

You can't be expected to think through all this in an emergency situation!

I can’t tell if you‘re joking. Use the same interior door handle you always use to get out of the car. If the door doesn’t open, try it again.

 

[Old_Norm]

You can't be expected to think through all this in an emergency situation!

I can’t tell if you‘re joking. Use the same interior door handle you always use to get out of the car. If the door doesn’t open, try it again.

Only someone who hasn't been in a real emergency situation would think he's joking. In Vietnam and 30 years of Federal law enforcement I witnessed many occasions when the best laid plans and procedures were forgotten in the heat of a real emergency situation. Put a couple kids in the backseat when the car's on fire and see how well the average person remembers the instructions for opening the rear doors.

 

[generaltso]

Only someone who hasn't been in a real emergency situation would think he's joking. In Vietnam and 30 years of Federal law enforcement I witnessed many occasions when the best laid plans and procedures were forgotten in the heat of a real emergency situation. Put a couple kids in the backseat when the car's on fire and see how well the average person remembers the instructions for opening the rear doors.

The instructions are literally the same as when there’s not an emergency. What is there to think about?

 

[ctenidae]

I can’t tell if you‘re joking. Use the same interior door handle you always use to get out of the car. If the door doesn’t open, try it again.

100% joking.
If someone's looking up the door operating instructions in an emergency then they've already lost.

I think pulling the door handle is an ingrained move, so doesn't really qualify as an emergency procedure any more.

 

[Bonehead]

No. The 2 pulls are needed when there is a loss of electrical power. The instructions are not the same when there is not an emergency.

If at first you don't succeed, pull the damn door handle again.

 

[Old_Norm]

100% joking.
If someone's looking up the door operating instructions in an emergency then they've already lost.

I think pulling the door handle is an ingrained move, so doesn't really qualify as an emergency procedure any more.

Hubris has been the downfall of many a man.

 

[blannan]

I totaled an Alero many years ago. Once my car stopped flipping I couldn’t get the door open. Saw the back glass had blown out so I climbed out that way.

Went to the impound lot a few days later and saw blood stains all around the window handle / crank. I had been so disoriented I thought the window crank was the door handle!

No real point here other than to say a) in an emergency it is definitely possible to forget how to do the simplest tasks, and b) no amount of manual clarity or reading would have made any difference.

But to answer the original question, the Mach E door handles are manual. A lack of electrical power does not inhibit exiting the car.

Now if only we could say, “Hey Ford, open the doors before the car burns to the ground…”

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