Tesla has rushed out a fix for a potentially dangerous problem with its cars' Dog Mode. The setting is designed to keep your pet cool and comfortable in the car if you have to pop out briefly, but an owner discovered that it was possible for the system to fail in some circumstances, making the car's cockpit dangerously hot.
Normally, in Dog Mode, the car's air conditioning regulates the temperature and a message on the dashboard reassures passers-by that you'll be returning to your car very soon. You can also monitor the car's temperature using a mobile app.
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However, on a particularly hot day in Seattle, owner Rahul Sood checked the app and realized that the car was getting too warm for his dog Enzo. Although he had set Dog Mode before leaving to attend a brief meeting, Sood's car was rapidly approaching 30C inside.
Take care
The problem seemed to be triggered if owners made any changes to the car's fan settings after activating Dog Mode, and Sood swiftly reported the problem to Tesla on Twitter. CEO Elon Musk sent a single-word reply, "Fixing", and within a couple of days the company pushed out an update to all cars to resolve the issue.
Dog Mode can certainly prove useful, but ideally dogs shouldn't be left in parked cars at all. Indeed, leaving your furry friend in the cockpit is illegal in many US states (special air conditioning mode or not), and several have laws that allow passers-by to break into parked cars to rescue overheating animals.
Via Digital Trends
