Emergency Planning: Baby Locked in EV
A Bay Area family's baby was locked in a Cadillac EV due to a "faulty battery," highlighting the need for emergency planning with tech-heavy vehicles.
The family was using a 2024 Cadillac Lyriq when the incident occurred on January 4th. The car's 12-volt battery failed, causing the electronic door handles to become unresponsive and trapping the baby inside. The parents tried using the key fob, the Cadillac mobile app, and even contacted OnStar, but none of these methods worked because the dead battery prevented any communication with the car's computer. The family eventually broke open the key fob, retrieved the physical key, and accessed the car through a latch in the trunk, guided by instructions they found using ChatGPT. The trapped baby was alone in the dark car for 27 minutes and was growing distressed in the cold. The dealership initially presented the grandparents with a bill for nearly $1,000 to replace the broken key fob. Cadillac denied the family's request to buy back the lease, and because the car hasn't had multiple failed repair attempts for the same issue, the family doesn't qualify for a Lemon Law buyback. The 2024 Cadillac Lyriq is not currently under any safety recall for its 12-volt battery. This highlights a potential danger with modern EVs: if the 12V battery fails, the car's computer shuts down and can lock the doors. Some experts suggest that car door handles are becoming too complex, and should include mechanical backups.
