Toddler dressed as Tinkerbell trapped in Tesla for nearly two hours in Tampa: ‘This was terrifying’

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa mother said Halloween got off to a very scary start after her young toddler was stuck in her Tesla for nearly two hours after the vehicle’s doors locked unexpectedly. 

Dakota Knox said she strapped her 18-month-old daughter, Salem, into her car seat in her Tesla around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Right after she shut the back passenger door, her husband tried to open the driver’s door. 

"He’s like, 'the door won't open. The door won't open. I don't understand. I'm trying the app and the handle won't work,'" Knox said. 

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All the doors to the vehicle were suddenly locked. And Salem – in her green Tinkerbell costume – was strapped in her car seat inside. 

"I was terrified. My child was screaming. She was terrified," Knox said. 

The manual key wouldn’t open the vehicle, Knox said. Restarting the Tesla app didn’t do anything. And despite the vehicle itself being fully charged, none of the doors would open. 

"We don’t really know what’s going on," Knox said. "This is strange. This has never happened before."

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Turns out it was the vehicle’s 12-volt battery, which powers stuff like the vehicle’s door locks. Knox said she and her husband tried to jump the 12-volt battery, but once again, nothing worked. 

Knox reached out to Tesla and said staff told her they couldn’t send someone out to help until the afternoon. So she was relieved when three officers from the Tampa Police Department showed up. 

"They were so calm, and they're watching YouTube videos. We're all trying to Google stuff," Knox said. 

According to Knox, they figured out a way to manually open the doors of her Tesla Model 3, but it was near the front seats. So the Tampa police officers snaked a piece of equipment through the barely opened back window. 

"We had to go from the back seat and reach it all the way to the front seat. And thankfully, the police officers were able to actually get it unhooked and open the door," Knox said. "We all cheered."

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Knox said her daughter had been trapped in the locked Tesla for nearly two hours. 

The Tampa mom told FOX 13 that she usually gets warnings and updates about any and all issues from Tesla, which is a feature she really likes about the company. But, she said she didn’t get a notification that her 12-volt battery needed to be replaced until about 12:15 p.m., which is about five hours after the battery died. 

So, she’s now sharing her story to spread awareness to other parents. She also hopes Tesla will take a closer look.  

"It seems to be a problem where you can't get out, and they don't have an override mechanism," Knox said. "I loved our Tesla up until this moment. This was terrifying."

FOX 13 reached out to Tesla’s press team, but we have not heard back. 

Whether you drive an electric vehicle or not, experts recommend replacing your car battery – which powers stuff like the vehicle’s locks and electrical systems – every three years.

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