Firefighters smashed a Tesla's window to rescue a toddler after the battery died, report says
Firefighters in Scottsdale were called after a woman could not open the doors of a car containing her 20-month-old granddaughter, the report said.
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- A toddler was rescued from a locked Tesla after the car's battery died, a report says.
- The child's grandmother called 911 after she was unable to open the car.
- Firefighters eventually broke the car's window with an ax and rescued the child, the report said.
A toddler was rescued from a locked Tesla by Scottsdale firefighters after the car's battery died.
Renee Sanchez told Arizona's On Your Side that she was planning to take her 20-month-old granddaughter to the Phoenix Zoo when the incident occurred.
She said the EV's battery died after she closed the door on her grandaughter and walked around the car to get in the front seat.
"I could not get in. My phone key wouldn't open it. My card key wouldn't open it," Sanchez told the outlet.
She ended up calling 911 operators, who then dispatched Scottsdale firefighters, per the report.
After arriving on the scene, the firefighters told Sanchez they often struggled to get inside locked Teslas. They eventually broke the car's window with an ax and rescued the child, the report said.
Representatives for Tesla and Scottsdale Fire Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours. Sanchez could not immediately be reached for comment.
Numerous Tesla owners say they have been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power. There are several ways to open the doors when the car is completely flat, including if drivers are stuck outside, but many Tesla owners aren't aware of these safety features.
One key safety feature is a release lever on both the driver's and passenger's side doors that manually unlocks the doors.
In April, a TikToker said she got stuck in her Tesla for 40 minutes during a software update while parked in the sun. She said the temperature in the car soared to 115°F while the EV updated.