I saw where on facebook a 72 year old man and his dog died in his 2007 corvette in the heat in Texas. They think a cable came lose and he was unable to unlock the doors or roll down the windows or honk the horn. They say there is a release in the floorboard, they think he might have tried to reach it but died before being able to release it. What a shame, I can see a law suit comming and a recall in the future.

 

Yep, very sad... http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/11/texas-man-dog-die-trapped-corvette/71053474/

 

Yeah they were talking about in C6 general. Very sad situation.

 

How hard is the roof panel to remove? Where were the keys? Very sad indeed.

 

I could not understand why someone did not break the side glass.

 

I remember this from a few months back -fortunately they didn't die

Elderly Couple Nearly Died After Getting Locked In Their Keyless Entry Car-

http://www.carthrottle.com/post/this...ess-entry-car/

 

That kind of stuff really scares me. My wife has a newer Jaguar, and NOTHING is mechanically controlled. everything is electrically controlled...the shifter, the throttle, the doors, etc, etc....


In the case of the unfortunate 'Vette owner, apparently neither he, nor anyone else, thought to release the roof latches.

 

Poor guy probably panicked. There is a lever alongside each seat that mechanically releases each door. It even has a red-colored door icon on it with arrows. The door doesn't however pop open like it does electronically. Lifting the lever is completely silent and even if he'd pulled the lever but didn't push on the door he'd think it wasn't working.

And as to the restaurant owner "he called the fire department". Really, a guy is dying in there and he called the fire department? Nothing nearby that could break a window? Probably afraid of getting sued for acting on his own recognizance. thanks PC world!

 

A very sad event for sure.

There are no keys for a C6 to speak of. There is a "key fob" which must be within 3 feet of a sensor on the car to unlock doors, or be inside the car to start it. There is a key inside the fob, which you pull out to let you open the rear hatch (coupes) or trunk (converts), in the event of a battery failure and you are outside the car. Then there is a cable in the rear inside the car you pull to open the driver's door. As mentioned previously, there are levers between the seats and the doors to pull up to open the doors in the event of a battery failure and you're inside the car.

It is possible the man did not know about the levers because #1 the salesperson failed to explain the features of the car, or #2 the man didn't read the manual and familiarize himself with the features of the car. This also poses the question (since the car was a coupe), why didn't he unlatch the targa top?

Events could have overwhelmed him. I was involved in an accident last year in a 2006 C6 coupe. The impact dislodged the battery from the car, and the doors wouldn't open. I forgot all about the levers to open the doors. Passenger window was blown out so we climbed out the window. Also thought about popping the top as a point of egress too.

We will never know the answers to the questions. May he and his pet rest in peace.

 

Sad event to have read about. I wonder if he had even looked at the owners manual before. I think I read they found him with it open in the car trying to find the way to open the doors.

On that note I recommend everyone read their owners manual and get familiar with their vehicle. I picked up a new Volkswagen two years ago and the first night I spent going through the owners manual looking over it to become familiar with the car.

 

So very sad. My Father always kept a hammer under his seat after he started getting vehicles with power windows/locks. Never used it on a window but it gave him peace of mind.

 

whenever you buy a new car, RTFOM... read the friggin owners manual....

 

Might not have mattered ....
Maybe he had a stroke or MI....then, the dog died of heat....

 

I have a 2008 C6 coupe.

1) On the floor, between the driver's door and the driver's seat is a lever. Pull the lever up, and the door will pop open..it's entirely mechanical so it doesn't matter if there's no electrical power.
2) If you have a coupe, look at the hardtop. There are two mechanical levers in each side of the front of the hardtop...these levers correspond to the two mechanical levers in a C3 hardtop/convertible. Pull them open, then pull open the single lever at the back of the removeable hardtop...this lever is between the driver and passenger..in the middle of the removeable hardtop. After the levers are opened, push up to remove the hardtop. I'd expect the softtop can be cracked opened or completely opened also.
3) The C6 window glass is very thin..its about 1/8 or 3/16 inches thick and is also soft. I'd think you could punch it out with a fist blow. Have a belt on? Take the belt off, stick your forefinger through the metal loop belt frame....making the equivalent of a one finger brass knuckle...and punch the window out.
4) If for some reason, the electrical power to the doors has failed, but the car still has electrical power, use On Star to call 911. Even if you don't pay your subscription, On Star will still work for 911.