Couple trapped in their own car for 13 hours (1 Viewer)

[Tom Servo]

World class stupidity right here.

An older New Zealand couple almost died after being inside their new Mazda 3 for 13 hours because they couldn't figure out how to exit the car. This was very close to being an actual tragedy, and one that could have been prevented by — and this is where you cringe — pulling the door handle.

The husband and wife had just bought their nice new Mazda 3 hatch, and this was their first car with a keyless entry system. When they got in their car, they happened to have left their owner's manual inside the house, and left the proximity key fob outside the car.

Since nobody died, we can save the "Thanks Posty" comments for another thread.

 

[bigmarc27]

Anyone who can't figure out how to exit the vehicle probably shouldn't be driving the car.

 

[harryhood]

How'd they get the owners manual from dealer to house?

 

[jon_mx]

Then they tried smashing the window with the jack. I guess it's good they didn't resort to cannibalism after the first three hours.

 

[jon_mx]

How'd they get the owners manual from dealer to house?

They had the keyless remote, maybe? Who knows. I think the hitch was, in order to open the door you actually had to lift the handle once to unlock it, then lift it again to open it. So it might not be quite a stupid as it sounds. The good part was they were able to get the jack out of the back and tried to smash the window open.

 

[McGarnicle]

Told you those things are death traps.

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

I think the hitch was, in order to open the door you actually had to lift the handle once to unlock it, then lift it again to open it. So it might not be quite a stupid as it sounds.

If, in 13 hours, they didn't try the handle more than once, it's definitely as stupid as it sounds.

 

[Spanky267]

Is December 13th the New Zealand equivalent of April 1st in the US?

 

[Hang 10]

How did they get into the car without the key?

 

[gameday]

On a serious note, it's pretty depressing watching older people's mental abilities decline. I'm witnessing that with my aging mother and her husband and I can easily see this happen.

 

[koby925]

Good ploy for getting some from the wife. Well honey, it's been a good life we might as well bone like rabbits in our last remaining moments.

 

[Hang 10]

Good ploy for getting some from the wife. Well honey, it's been a good life we might as well bone like rabbits in our last remaining moments.

Gives some time for the blue pills to start working too.

 

[Tom Servo]

Good ploy for getting some from the wife. Well honey, it's been a good life we might as well bone like rabbits in our last remaining moments.

Gives some time for the blue pills to start working too.

 

[Doug B]

On a serious note, it's pretty depressing watching older people's mental abilities decline. .

Starts happening to a lot of people in their 40s, even. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[msommer]

If they had died, would there have been a Darwin award involved?

 

[jon_mx]

If they had died, would there have been a Darwin award involved?

How would anyone figure it out?. Might think it was some kind of weird suicide.

 

[Doug B]

I think the hitch was, in order to open the door you actually had to lift the handle once to unlock it, then lift it again to open it.

No schtick: that sounds confusing as ###k if you don't know the door handle is supposed to work like that.

So let me get this straight: there is no pin or knob or anything on the interior of the door that unlocks the door. The unlock/lock mechanism is all in the door handle. Pull the door handle up -- door unlocks but cannot be opened in that same motion. So you have to let go of the door handle, let it fall back into place, and then raise it up again to open the now-unlocked door?

But then ... shouldn't he have been unlocking the door by accident a bunch of times? Every time he tried pulling up the handle, wouldn't the door be unlocking each time? Is the unlock mechanism super-silent so you can't hear it when it unlocks? Does it automatically re-lock in some manner or something?

Hmmm ... this is kind of hard to udnerstand without trying it out on the actual car.

 

[msommer]

If they had died, would there have been a Darwin award involved?

How would anyone figure it out?. Might think it was some kind of weird suicide.

Fair point, but when the cause of death would revealed to be dehydration I think they would at least get nominated...

 

[Tom Servo]

I think the hitch was, in order to open the door you actually had to lift the handle once to unlock it, then lift it again to open it.

No schtick: that sounds confusing as ###k if you don't know the door handle is supposed to work like that.

So let me get this straight: there is no pin or knob or anything on the interior of the door that unlocks the door. The unlock/lock mechanism is all in the door handle. Pull the door handle up -- door unlocks but cannot be opened in that same motion. So you have to let go of the door handle, let it fall back into place, and then raise it up again to open the now-unlocked door?

But then ... shouldn't he have been unlocking the door by accident a bunch of times? Every time he tried pulling up the handle, wouldn't the door be unlocking each time? Is the unlock mechanism super-silent so you can't hear it when it unlocks? Does it automatically re-lock in some manner or something?

Hmmm ... this is kind of hard to udnerstand without trying it out on the actual car.

Yeah, we should pretty much do away with keyless fobs.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Would make for a good movie: Keyless & Clueless

 

[culdeus]

So, he didn't actually try the door handle? Is that the story here? And how would they have died in the car after 12 hours? New car smell fumes would have overtaken them?

 

[TheAristocrat]

"This was very close to being an actual tragedy"

 

[Two Deep]

I think the hitch was, in order to open the door you actually had to lift the handle once to unlock it, then lift it again to open it.

No schtick: that sounds confusing as ###k if you don't know the door handle is supposed to work like that.

So let me get this straight: there is no pin or knob or anything on the interior of the door that unlocks the door. The unlock/lock mechanism is all in the door handle. Pull the door handle up -- door unlocks but cannot be opened in that same motion. So you have to let go of the door handle, let it fall back into place, and then raise it up again to open the now-unlocked door?

But then ... shouldn't he have been unlocking the door by accident a bunch of times? Every time he tried pulling up the handle, wouldn't the door be unlocking each time? Is the unlock mechanism super-silent so you can't hear it when it unlocks? Does it automatically re-lock in some manner or something?

Hmmm ... this is kind of hard to udnerstand without trying it out on the actual car.

I'm just glad you were not in there with them..

 

[Doug B]

After some research, it seems that the door-lock mechanism on the Mazda 3 is not special in any way -- there is, in fact, a pin/knob (or similar) in the door panel that unlocks the door. The way john_mx was explaining it, it sounded like some bleeding-edge design that didn't have this feature -- but that's not the case.

...

No worries, Two Deep -- I'd have been good.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Did you hear about the [insert some nationality/ethincity here] guy who locked his keys in his car?

It took him 2 hours to free his wife and kids.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

On a serious note, it's pretty depressing watching older people's mental abilities decline. I'm witnessing that with my aging mother and her husband and I can easily see this happen.

Sorry to hear that but...If these two are as bad as your mom and her husband then there is no way in Hell these two should have a driver's license

 

[Fennis]

Thanks, Posty

 

[Henry Ford]

Mrs Smith said she had decided to ''go public'' as people needed to be aware of the risks of keyless cars, particularly older people inexperienced in new technology.

The public responded, "We're good. Thanks."

 

[Tom Servo]

Thanks, Posty

Since nobody died, we can save the "Thanks Posty" comments for another thread.

 

[Das Boot]

Phone-a-friend lifeline down?

 

[Brony]

Boy trapped in refrigerator eats own foot.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Boy trapped in refrigerator eats own foot.

There's a sale at Pennys!

 

[Tom Servo]

Phone-a-friend lifeline down?

If a car outwitted them, a cell phone may as well be a rubber mallet.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Boy trapped in refrigerator eats own foot.

Johnny, what can you make of this?

 

[Sabertooth]

You know these people were blonde. You just know it.

 

[fatness]

After some research, it seems that the door-lock mechanism on the Mazda 3 is not special in any way -- there is, in fact, a pin/knob (or similar) in the door panel that unlocks the door. The way john_mx was explaining it, it sounded like some bleeding-edge design that didn't have this feature -- but that's not the case.

"But we really don't know since we've only been studying these locks for such a short time. And there's a lot of theories out there."