WFTV - Florida woman can't get out of bricked R1S for 45 min. PSA: check your emergency release access panels

[ElGuano]

But even in that case....if a manual handle were present like in the front seats...could still be electronically disabled via the user settings. And enabled same way.

Yep, I'm sure cost has a lot to do with it, and also agree that there are many ways to enable a child lock electronically AND also disable the manual release, which is a matter of complexity/reliability and adds that whole interesting wrinkle to whether that manual release should be a master override and when...

You raise an interesting point about the vehicle automatically unlocking all doors when it senses an accident. I'm not sure if it already does that, but I recall reading that Tesla may do that? In any case, having an electronic child lock that de-activates when the vehicle is stopped after a crash (or airbag deployed, etc.) makes a lot of sense to me.

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[RivAW]

WFTV Video - In a nutshell, she was driving, the R1S bricked on the road and smoke came out of the vents. Rivian or Roadside Assist told her to call 911. She could not get out of the vehicle for 45 minutes until someone discovered there is a manual emergency door release.

She was on the phone with "Rivian Support" - not sure if it was truly Rivian or the Roadside Assistance. But why did they not tell her about the release? Isn't that a basic responsibility for Roadside Assistance even if it is a 3rd party provider? It should be.

This should serve as a PSA for everyone to remember/check out the Emergency Release access panels in our RIvians AND tell our family members about it.

Rivian said it was an electrical short. They offered $1k as goodwill compensation, but the owner didn't trust the vehicle and Rivian took it back.

100% operator error. Again…take a moment to familiarize yourself with your vehicle…it may save you..

 

[VSG]

if a manual handle were present like in the front seats...could still be electronically disabled via the user settings. And enabled same way.

The problem is, manual release handles in the rear need to be able to operate with power or without power. They have to be mechanical, not electronically controlled or enabled, in order for them to serve an emergency purpose. They have to override everything, even the child safety locks. And still there's no guarantee that the frame won't be warped preventing the door from opening - that's why jaws of life were invented.

I personally don't know of a mechanism that solves all the problems. Even if you have a mechanical latch, you could be restrained by your seat belt which you can't get off in an emergency because for example the car is on its side and all your weight is putting tension on the latch. In a real emergency, I think the above suggestion of having the seat belt cutter / glass breaker device handy will solve more problems than the mechanical latch. Plus, breaking the glass with the device is a serious enough result that you can teach your kids how to do it and be pretty sure they're not going to use that method frivolously to jump out of the car early when you get to Disneyworld. Whereas popping the door with a mechanical release without thinking first is something that you can almost expect to happen when the excitement level is high enough and the kids young enough.

 

[R1Tom]

The problem is, manual release handles in the rear need to be able to operate with power or without power. They have to be mechanical, not electronically controlled or enabled, in order for them to serve an emergency purpose. They have to override everything, even the child safety locks. And still there's no guarantee that the frame won't be warped preventing the door from opening - that's why jaws of life were invented.

I personally don't know of a mechanism that solves all the problems. Even if you have a mechanical latch, you could be restrained by your seat belt which you can't get off in an emergency because for example the car is on its side and all your weight is putting tension on the latch. In a real emergency, I think the above suggestion of having the seat belt cutter / glass breaker device handy will solve more problems than the mechanical latch. Plus, breaking the glass with the device is a serious enough result that you can teach your kids how to do it and be pretty sure they're not going to use that method frivolously to jump out of the car early when you get to Disneyworld. Whereas popping the door with a mechanical release without thinking first is something that you can almost expect to happen when the excitement level is high enough and the kids young enough.

So the one use case I can see the buttons be superior to manual releases...and it would be a pretty novel approach...would be if in the event of airbag deployment...that all the doors would release regardless of lock status, etc...

That would be an improvement that would help both for kids in the backseats where the child locks were engaged and adults. Just push the doors...latches are already open.

If this is how it works...then this would be a selling point I would advertise.

 

[aljommm]

Hmm, now I'm confused. Do you have a Gen2? I'm not aware of any Gen1s labeled as "2025"...

Yes, mine is a Gen 2

 

[riv-e-in]

https://historygarage.com/short-surprising-history-child-safety-lock/
“It may surprise you to learn that there is no law mandating the existence of a safety lock on the back doors of your car. This is despite the fact that cars have had them since the early 1980s. It’s weird, awesome, but strange.”

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/doors-emergency-access.336569/

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...r-if-the-electronic-door-release-fails.33765/

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...he-electronic-door-release-fails-a8152892189/

https://www.ksby.com/escape-your-car-electric-door-release-doesnt-work

https://lifehacker.com/the-right-way-to-break-a-car-window-in-an-emergency-1849743591
“For laminated glass, you’ll need a different tool. Laminated glass is tough stuff. Hammers—of any kind—simply won’t work fast enough in an emergency situation. A traditional glass-breaking tool may crack the laminated glass enough for you to kick or push the glass out and escape the vehicle, but the most effective tool for laminated glass is something called a windshield cutter, which is a battery-powered saw that can slice through the glass in seconds.”

The more you know…

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