If I were to spend six figures on an electric vehicle, I’d like for it to start in sub below freezing winter conditions if that’s not too much to ask. Well, according to several Tesla owners it is, and they are outraged that they found themselves locked out of their EVs during the recent arctic storm that gripped the nation during Christmas week.
The Daily Mail reports that numerous Tesla owners have reported being unable to access their vehicles due to frozen door handles during a severe winter storm in Canada and the United States. Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist from Ontario, experienced this issue firsthand on December 23 when temperatures reached a low of 5º F and her car’s door latch failed to function.
Modestino’s situation went viral on social media when she posted a video of her struggling with the frozen door handle that has garnered over 10.1 million views on Twitter. In the tweet accompanying the video, Modestino quipped, “Bet ya didn’t think of ice in the Tesla design.” The video shows the Tesla partially covered in ice, highlighting the severity of the winter storm.
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Modestino’s viral tweet sparked a response from both Tesla critics and supporters. Some offered their support and suggestions on how to open the frozen door, including using the car’s accompanying app to remotely unlatch it. Others took the opportunity to criticize Tesla, with one person writing, “You shouldn’t need to use Twitter to learn how to use your expensive car.”
Breitbart News recently reported on another Tesla owner named Domenick Nati, a radio host in Virginia, that went viral after posting a video showing his Tesla Model S unable to charge in the cold weather. It was reportedly around 19°F – or -7°C – at the time of the video recording.
Nati claimed that he first tried to charge his car at home but it failed to take on energy. He then traveled to a local Supercharger station where he posted a video of the vehicle failing to charge on TikTok.
Tesla’s electronic door handles have been subject to criticism and safety concerns for years. In May, Breitbart News reported on a Canadian man who was forced to kick out the window of his Tesla to escape it after a battery fire rendered the electronic door handle inoperable.
Firefighters in Vancouver, Canada, are investigating a car fire involving a Tesla after an electrical malfunction caused the vehicle doors to lock shut, trapping the driver inside as smoke began pouring in through vents. The driver kicked out a window to escape from Elon Musk’s electric vehicle.
The vehicle appeared to lose all power to electrical components. Jutha stated: “The doors wouldn’t open. The windows wouldn’t go down.” Smoke began to fill the cabin via the air vents but Jutha was unable to open the doors of the vehicle which are opened via an electric button that was no longer responding.
