I own a 2007 Audi 4 Turbo-diesel. I live in France and recently watched a television news report about a guy who was locked asleep and drunk late one evening inside an Audi A4 by his buddy. The buddy lived in a small village and didn’t bother going back to his car the following day, never having given a thought to his friend. The next day was extremely hot, the car sat in the sun, there were no passersby in this little village and the guy in the car, unable to get out, died!
It’s claimed that a number of other cars are designed this way. They cannot be opened from the inside if locked from outside.
Now, I’m getting a bit nervous. Even though I couldn’t lock myself inside from outside (obviously!), I still wonder if some malfunction might cause the car to lock in this way while I’m in it!
My question to the illustrious members of this blog is; would this be possible?
Incidentally, are there any suggestions as to how one might get out in such an emergency? It was claimed in the TV report that it’s not possible to break the windows by, for example, kicking them out. One would think it would be possible. Normally, I’m not at all claustrophobic but, as I say, it’s a little woorying!
Odd, why didn’t you mention that it happened to you in your first post?
And I was calling BS on the news story, not you. The guy could have died from a heart attack, alcohol poisoning, a heat stroke while passed out, rather than not being able to get out.
My friend, it didn’t happen to me. If you read what I said, it was reported on tv. Like you, I didn’t believe it and thus had my wife lock me in to see if it was true.
Anyway, since no one seems interested, I’m just going to ask Audi France.
In my old Chevy you can’t just pull on the door handle and get out like the newer ones.
You have to actually reach back with your two liitle fingers and pull up on the good ol’ manual lock knob.
If true, I suppose this is some type of anti-theft measure since one way to break into a car is to fish a probe in and push the unlock button. Seems like kind of a dumb idea though I can’t envision how one would get locked in. I guess if you’re locked in due to a malfunction or a stupid friend, and your cell phone doesn’t work, the horn at least should still work to attract attention.
I don’t remember the full details or the brand of vehicle but my wife managed to get locked in the back of a van in Norway. She was in the back of the van getting something and had the key and someone closed the door. There was no way to open the back door from the inside. Thankfully the police speak English and were able to get someone to pick the lock. I suppose that was a safety device so that kids or something couldn’t accidentally open the door but cars are not easy to get out of.
This is funny. The original poster is telling the truth. One cannot open an Audi from the inside (or roll down its windows) if it is locked by a key from the outside.
Read Warning just above the label Anti-theft alarm below
I’m not aware of any car where you couldn’t just open the manual lock and get out, unless you’re in the back seat maybe, with the child locks engaged. The alarm might go off, but that’s about it. For Pete’s sake, they make it easy to even get out of the trunk these days if you’re locked in. Mine has a little glow in the dark pull handle just in case you’re stupid, have cruel friends, or associate with too many mobsters.
Maybe it’s impossible to get out of an Audi, but I’d think that a creative and desperate person of reasonable strength would be able to figure something out. Oh, unless they were really drunk… Never mind.
Sheesh, that’s crazy! I agree the bit of theft protection is hardly worth the increased risk. What if a child locked themselves in, for example?
I always have a little emergency hammer within reach of the driver in all my vehicles, personally, but I’d think it should be standard equipment on an Audi at this point.
If excessive oil consumption and very high maintenance and repair costs were not enough to keep me from buying a new Audi, this example of very poor design would certainly disenchant me with the marque.
Also kinda makes you wonder what would happen if you got into a wreck and the doors were locked(auto-locking was a pretty big thing in the 80s, not sure about today)
Somebody should lose their job for that design. I’d want Audi to pull them all back off the road and reprogram them - or whatever. That’s inconceivable.
