Tesla ‘fixing’ reported fault with pet cooling system
Tesla boss Elon Musk has said the company is “fixing” an issue with the Dog Mode in its cars which is meant to keep pets cool in unattended vehicles.
The entrepreneur responded to a concerned owner who alerted the company to a potential fault via Twitter after his boxer puppy, Enzo, was left in a Tesla Model X, with the cooling system switched on, in Seattle on a very hot Wednesday.
Rahul Sood said that, to his “horror”, he noticed the temperature inside the car had soared when he later checked the Tesla app.
Fixing …
— E (@elonmusk) July 31, 2019
“It’s hot as all hell in Seattle,” he wrote.
“Today I used dog mode and luckily I kept the app open, to my horror the car was 85 degrees and climbing!
“Dog mode only works if in auto, if you manually set the fan and leave the AC turns off.”
Mr Musk responded, simply saying: “Fixing…”
Tesla announced Dog Mode in February, which not only cools the car but also informs passers-by via a message on the infotainment screen that the owner will be returning soon and not to worry.
Animal charity the RSPCA has previously expressed fears about the possibility of the technology failing, as well as advising people that they should not leave dogs unattended in cars as they could “die in minutes” if it becomes too hot.
“Technology can fail and it isn’t worth the risk of injury to your pet to put them in this situation. We would advise owners to leave them at home if they know they are going to be away for a longer time,” said RSPCA campaign manager Holly Barber.
“The RSPCA receives thousands of calls every year about dogs left in hot cars and our inspectors see first-hand the trauma this can cause.
“Many people think it will be fine just to leave their pets for a minute or two, but we know that this is all it takes for temperatures inside a car to soar to dangerous levels. Our advice is never to leave a dog in a car on a warm day.”
