Firefighters rescued a child from a Tesla - the battery was "dead" and the door wouldn't open

Firefighters in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA rescued a toddler from a locked Tesla after the car's battery died. Rene Sanchez told Arizona's On Your Side that she had planned to take her 20-month-old granddaughter to the Phoenix Zoo when the incident occurred. The electric car's battery died after she closed the door behind her granddaughter and walked around the car to get into the front seat.

"I couldn't get in. My phone key wouldn't unlock the door. My key card wouldn't unlock it," Sanchez said.

Eventually, she called 911 operators who dispatched Scottsdale firefighters to the scene. Upon arrival, the firefighters told Sanchez that they often had difficulty getting inside locked Teslas. Eventually, they broke the glass with an ax and rescued the child.

Many Tesla owners have found themselves in dangerous situations, trapped inside their electric cars after losing power. There are several ways to open the door when the car is completely out of power, but many Tesla owners are unaware of these safety features. One key safety feature is the manual release lever on both the driver's and passenger's doors that unlocks the doors. However, this option is unlikely to be available to a 20-month-old.

In April, a TikToker got stuck in her Tesla for 40 minutes during a software update while the car was parked in the sun. She said the temperature inside the car rose to 46°C while the software was updating. Remember, leaving children or pets locked in a car during summer heat is extremely dangerous.