Killer corvette...
- Thread starter ford fanatic
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In my experience, most salesman are clueless about the vehicles thy sell.
I feel sorry for the gentlemen and his dog. Same thing happened to me a few months ago at the shop I work at. C6 Corvette came in for a new battery so I pulled it in with the windows up and it died after that. I've never been in one before so I couldn't figure out how the hell to open the doors and everyone in the shop just laughed at me while they looked for the jump box. "Mustang guy stuck in a Corvette" and all lol they wouldn't let me out for like 15 minutes
I've been stuck in one of these things before too. I was detailing a friends car while he was on vacation. He gave me the second key fob but the battery was as dead as a doornail. I figured out how to get in via the rear hatch and decided I would just take the car down the street to get a battery real quick. Lo and behold car wouldn't start with a dead key fob :bash: and I couldn't get out. Took me about 2 minutes to find the manual release.
I can't imagine a 70yo being able to kick out a window if he was already down in the cockpit of this thing, but reading the manual real quick or a cursory glance around the cabin should have saved his life.
I can't imagine a 70yo being able to kick out a window if he was already down in the cockpit of this thing, but reading the manual real quick or a cursory glance around the cabin should have saved his life.
A window isn't always that easy to break. I've swung an axe at Chevy truck window and its bounced off.
Also he had been in the Waffle House and forgot his phone. The car was already hot when he got in.
Also he had been in the Waffle House and forgot his phone. The car was already hot when he got in.
+65000. From the most experienced guy on the forum, folks.
+1 to this as well. Just bodies to take up an office, it seems.
So what happens if you are in a wreck and the battery is destroyed or disconnected?
The doors lock, you are disorientated, confused or in a shear panic with the car filling up smoke or possibly on fire.
When people panic, they just do not think straight.
This is one reason why Panic levers are required on exit doors in a lot of public buildings.
People drown in shallow water because they panic and forget to stand up.
In my opinion, having the doors default to lock position when the battery is dead or disconnected and having no door handles is a Huge Design flaw.
The doors lock, you are disorientated, confused or in a shear panic with the car filling up smoke or possibly on fire.
When people panic, they just do not think straight.
This is one reason why Panic levers are required on exit doors in a lot of public buildings.
People drown in shallow water because they panic and forget to stand up.
In my opinion, having the doors default to lock position when the battery is dead or disconnected and having no door handles is a Huge Design flaw.
The doors do not default in the locked positions. The design is 100% electric and not mechanical. So if there's no juice the door won't open automatically.
Any GM dealer that sells Corvettes are required to do a post purchase walk through that includes how to get into and out of a car that has a dead battery. Sadly not all dealerships do this and if the car is purchased second hand, who knows if that's explained.
Any GM dealer that sells Corvettes are required to do a post purchase walk through that includes how to get into and out of a car that has a dead battery. Sadly not all dealerships do this and if the car is purchased second hand, who knows if that's explained.
So couldn't they provide a small backup battery for unlocking the doors in case of main battery failure?
Why would they have done that when the mechanical release is more reliable than a redundant backup battery?
If I still owned one of my C6 cars I'd go out and take a picture of the door releases to show just how blatantly obvious they are in the cabin.
Edit: Found a few pictures online.
Here's the door release. It's located just below the seat next to the door. There's another one in the opposite location on the passenger side.
For those that have mentioned dead FOB's, GM thought of that as well. There is a slot in the glove box where you can place a dead FOB and the car will be able to read it.
As I mentioned in my first post, there are multiple escape methods in the car. While this is an unfortunate story, simply taking the time to look around the car or as Uncle Meat pointed out RTFM would have saved this guys life and that of his dog.
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this... also, people walking by may have thought he was just sleeping in his car, which is probably why no one reacted quicker. if he and his dog died quickly, it could be a while before someone may have actually thought it was unusual that a person was in their car for so long in a parking lot.
I am just saying that with modern battery technology, it would not be that difficult for GM to add a small battery in the door handle itself, to unlock the door in case of main battery failure.
Like I say, when people panic they are not looking for hidden release handles.
Just my opinion.
They could have, but in the end, it's still a battery and they naturally drain over time without being charged. From an engineering standpoint it's a terrible redundancy because it still has a fairly high failure rate, when compared with a mechanical release for this purpose.
This thread has turned in to another blame the manufacturer thread when it should be blame the dead guy because he didn't do an ounce of diligence necessary to successfully own and operate his car. His death was 100% avoidable by taking no more than 5 minutes to physically walk around the car and take note of it's features, or to simply have the manual with you for reference in case something is going on with the car at the time. There's even a handy slot designed in to the glove box meant to hold the manual and keep it out of the way.
For somebody of his age, he probably should have been aware that the worst thing to do in a situation where you're trapped is to panic.
I'm sorry if it sounds crass, but the only person at fault here is the deceased. It's terrible this happened, but it's still his fault.
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Why would they have done that when the mechanical release is more reliable than a redundant backup battery?
If I still owned one of my C6 cars I'd go out and take a picture of the door releases to show just how blatantly obvious they are in the cabin.
Edit: Found a few pictures online.
Here's the door release. It's located just below the seat next to the door. There's another one in the opposite location on the passenger side.
For those that have mentioned dead FOB's, GM thought of that as well. There is a slot in the glove box where you can place a dead FOB and the car will be able to read it.
As I mentioned in my first post, there are multiple escape methods in the car. While this is an unfortunate story, simply taking the time to look around the car or as Uncle Meat pointed out RTFM would have saved this guys life and that of his dog.
BOOM goes the dynamite.
Why would they have done that when the mechanical release is more reliable than a redundant backup battery?
If I still owned one of my C6 cars I'd go out and take a picture of the door releases to show just how blatantly obvious they are in the cabin.
Edit: Found a few pictures online.
Here's the door release. It's located just below the seat next to the door. There's another one in the opposite location on the passenger side.
...
Our Forester has the fuel door release handle about that same size and in that same spot. When the seat is in my wife's driving position, that handle is completely hidden. So if this guy was short, his seat may have been obstructing the handle. That's not to say he couldn't have reached over to the passenger side and activated that release handle.
Despite all the Monday morning quarterbacking, though, this guy's death was ultimately a result of his own negligence. I do still think onlookers carry at least some ancillary culpability if they saw him in the car while he was still alive, and they failed to use even a little common sense to break a window.
I'm a fairly short guy (5' 10') and most of my height is in my torso. Even with the seats pushed quite a ways forward, those latches are still easily visible from a seated position in the cabin without having to lean forward and twist around to look for them.
You would hope somebody would have come to that realization sooner, but as it's been pointed out, it's not uncommon for people to sit in their cars in a parking lot. People inside would have no idea if the car was running or not. Anyway people these days have tunnel vision and care only for themselves anyway.
It reminds me of a time I was out at Qdoba with my wife. There was a younger lady trying to leave her parking spot but she was on a patch of ice and just spinning her tires. I watched no less than 5 guys walk right past her as she's struggling to get out of the parking spot. I had to finally get up from my meal and go give her a push because nobody could be bothered to help out another human.
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Why? A lot of the people in here have never stepped foot in a C6. There are electrical door releases--the doors do not lock like other cars. When the car is locked, the power to the electronic door releases is cut. There is a mechanical release that is tethered to the door latch with a cable--simply pull the release and get out. There is nothing hidden about the release. In fact, I laughed at my wife the first several times she rode in my car because she had no idea about the button to get out of the car, her instinct was always to pull the mechanical release.
I feel for the guy and it is a sad story, but I question his overall mental health. Should he have even been driving?
I couldn't agree more.
The handle is not hidden, even with the seat pulled forward. This should not be a high stress/panic situation. You simply pull the handle like any other car, except this one is mounted on the floor--which is not out of the way at all. I don't think a lot of people here realize how close the floor is when sitting in the C6--it's not a stretch like it would be in a SUV or even a Mustang. It's a very natural movement.
Agree 100%. I watched some youtube vids and it's very easy to figure out. The guy was old, left his phone inside the joint, and at least from what I read here, he left the dog in the car for almost 4hrs.
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/n...an-dog-die-after-being-trapped-in-6316213.php
Sounds like Darwin took another one. Sad to say, but I'm waiting for the obligatory family lawsuit against GM for failure to do whatever it is the lawyers think they can get the most money from.
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