Woman accuses Tesla safety function of 'malfunctioning' and killing her dog
A woman has said that her dog died after the climate control mode on her Tesla 'malfunctioned'.
A hot day a car is one of the most dangerous places for a dog as the temperature inside can rise very rapidly and dogs aren't able to cool themselves in the same way humans can.
That's not to say you should leave people in a car on a hot day as that can be fatal, especially to young children, but as far as species go, humans and our ability to sweat puts us far above most other species when it comes to dealing with temperatures.
Dogs cool down by panting which doesn't work well in a hot car and canine companions can quickly become dehydrated or suffer from heatstroke to the point that they can die, and this can happen even if you've opened the windows.
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Some cars have introduced new climate control features, which are supposed to keep the interior cool when when you've parked it, with Teslas having a 'Dog' mode that's meant to get around the danger.
Dog trainer Denise Fenzi posted earlier this month (2 September) that her dog Ice had died, writing on Facebook that 'Dog mode malfunctioned on the car' and the 'back up system was not enough to keep him alive'.
In an Instagram post on the same subject she said the car was a Tesla and the 'climate control went out'.
According to Tesla, their 'Dog' mode is 'designed to maintain a comfortable cabin temperature for your pet while you actively and frequently monitor this temperature using the mobile app'.
Their site says: "When in Dog, the touchscreen displays the current cabin temperature to inform people passing by that your pet is safe.
"This setting is not intended for people, and should only be used for short periods of time while you stay in close proximity should you need to return to the vehicle in situations where the temperature can no longer be maintained."
There's not a technological system that doesn't run the risk of malfunctioning at some point, and the sudden rise in temperature for dogs is incredibly risky.
Chris O'Brien of RSPCA Cymru once locked himself in a car to demonstrate how quickly the temperature inside it can rise in just 25 minutes, with his thermometer showing how the heat levels in the car rose from 23.3C to 35.1C in just five minutes.
He said he was 'sweating a lot', something dogs aren't able to do, as the temperature climbed to 48.8C after 15 minutes, more than double what it had been when he'd started the demonstration.
After 25 minutes of hot weather, the temperature inside the car hit 57.1C.
LADbible has contacted Tesla for comment.
Joe Harker