Dog Fashion
Faulty Tesla update – why you should never leave animals in the car
If the car stays cool, you could leave dogs waiting in the car indefinitely – but even Tesla dog mode cannot guarantee this
© Tesla / PR
The current Tesla software has a bug. This means that you should no longer use a function that is actually practical. In case of doubt, there is a risk to your life.
Actually, there is a principle in the automotive world: people and animals have to be safe in parked cars in hot weather. Cars have absolutely no place. The reason: Within a few minutes, the vehicles can become so hot that it is life-threatening. Nevertheless, every summer there are reports of rescue workers having to save helpless passengers from heatstroke.
Electric cars should provide a solution – especially Tesla. Because the vehicles use a battery, they don’t have to “run” to keep the interior pleasantly cool. Tesla made no secret of this and still uses the function as an argument for purchase: It’s called “Dog Mode”. Other manufacturers now also have comparable modes.
Dog mode disrupted by Tesla update
Tesla writes: “Dog Mode is designed to maintain a comfortable interior temperature for your pet while you actively and frequently monitor that temperature using the mobile app. In the Dog setting, the touchscreen displays the current interior temperature to inform passersby that your pet is safe. This setting is not intended for humans and should only be used for short periods of time while you stay nearby in case you need to return to the vehicle in situations where the temperature can no longer be maintained.”
With the latest update to version 2024.20, the last sentence in particular is given significantly more weight – because users on Reddit or Facebook report that Dog Mode is currently buggy in some cases. One Tesla owner writes: “I left my dog in the car this morning with Dog Mode on and set to 19 degrees Celsius as it’s pretty hot outside today. 30 degrees Celsius at the time. Ten minutes after I left the car I got a “Dog Mode Problem” alert on my phone. It was 29 degrees Celsius in the car and it was rising quickly when I ran out to rescue my dog. On the drive back to my office the air conditioning couldn’t really keep up. So whatever the changes to the HVAC system were in this firmware, they’re not working properly.”
Tesla informed about malfunction
The person affected reported his car’s malfunction to Tesla immediately. The answer: “It is a known feature of the current firmware.” The manufacturer later went on to write that tests had confirmed errors in the function and that they therefore advise against using dog mode “until further notice.” The Tesla owner writes that the problem does not always occur and that dog mode always works without problems in tests, but that his trust has now disappeared.
The dog owner was lucky that at least the notification about the malfunction was sent correctly – otherwise he would probably not have noticed that things were gradually becoming threatening for his dog.
ADAC: “Never leave animals alone in the vehicle”
A report by the ADACThe club writes: “Even at an outside temperature of just 20 degrees Celsius, a closed vehicle heats up to 46 degrees Celsius within an hour. Even at temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius, the animal can suffer permanent damage; above 45 degrees Celsius, there is an immediate risk of death from heat stroke.”
In summer temperatures, everything happens much faster. At 30 degrees Celsius, the temperature in the car will be 37 degrees Celsius after just ten minutes, and after half an hour it will be 46 degrees Celsius. The ADAC therefore advises, not surprisingly: “Dogs and cats should never be left alone in the vehicle between spring and autumn – not even for a few minutes. Even in the shade, the car heats up quickly. And even partially open windows or ‘pre-cooling’ with air conditioning do not protect against a life-threatening rise in temperature.”
Given that it can apparently get too hot even in cars that are supposed to be equipped for this, you should probably follow the club’s advice – and if in doubt, take your dog (or cat) with you or leave it at home.