Fast charging is supposed to add energy, not take it away. But for one Tesla Model Y owner, plugging in at a brand-new Wawa charger triggered an abrupt shutdown that left her asking how a car with plenty of range could suddenly go dark.
In a TikTok packed with guidance and warnings for Tesla owners, creator Emma Renee @the.emmarenee shares the details of her and her 15-year-old son becoming temporarily trapped in the car and then locked out, despite indications that it was charged for over 100 more miles of travel.
“I literally plugged it up, had about 110 miles on it to drive, sat here for three seconds and it stated, ‘Vehicle power reduced. Powering down," she says in the clip. “Nothing was working. Not even the button to get out.”
The video quickly struck a nerve with EV owners, many of whom were confused by how a vehicle showing more than 100 miles of remaining range could abruptly lose power. As several commenters pointed out, the issue did not appear to involve the main high-voltage battery that powers the Tesla Model Y’s drivetrain, but rather the vehicle’s low-voltage electrical system.
Modern Teslas, like most electric vehicles, rely on a separate low-voltage battery—traditionally a 12-volt unit, though newer models have transitioned to lithium-ion systems—to operate essential functions such as door locks, infotainment screens, and control modules. If that system fails, the vehicle can become largely unresponsive even if the main battery pack is fully charged.
In her replies to commenters, Emma Renee said technicians at a Tesla service center later attributed the failure to a charging-port fault that shorted the low-voltage system, rather than a spontaneous battery failure.
The 12-volt Battery Debate
Viewers quickly flooded the comments section with theories, many pointing to a familiar culprit. “12v battery needs replaced,” one commenter wrote, echoing dozens of similar responses. Others noted that internal combustion vehicles can also become disabled when their accessory batteries fail, though mechanical door handles typically remain operable in those cases.
Low-voltage battery failures are a known issue across the automotive industry, and Tesla has acknowledged that earlier lead-acid units often need replacement after two to four years of service. In response, the automaker began rolling out lithium-ion low-voltage batteries in newer vehicles, including updated versions of the Model 3 and Model Y, to improve longevity and reliability.
Still, Emma Renee maintained that her vehicle had under 20,000 miles at the time, and said Tesla replaced multiple components following the incident. She also emphasized that the charger itself was newly installed at a recently opened Wawa, raising questions about whether a fault during the charging handshake could have triggered the shutdown.
One of the most debated aspects of the video involved emergency door releases, particularly for rear-seat passengers. In the clip, the creator initially stated that the back seats lacked an emergency latch, a claim that many commenters disputed.
Tesla vehicles do include manual emergency releases for rear doors, but unlike the front doors, they are often hidden inside door pockets or beneath trim panels. Tesla’s own owner documentation notes that these releases are intentionally concealed to reduce the risk of accidental activation, especially by children.
While several commenters criticized the creator for not knowing where the rear releases were located, others acknowledged that the design can be difficult to locate under stress. Some owners said they had added aftermarket labels or glow-in-the-dark markers to make the releases easier to find in an emergency.
In later comments, Emma Renee clarified that her primary concern was not her own exit, but the possibility of someone, such as her grandmother, being trapped in the back seat without guidance during a similar failure.
Is It A Range Failure Or A Systems Issue?
Despite the video's dramatic nature, the incident does not appear to indicate a widespread defect or a new failure affecting Tesla vehicles. There are no recalls tied to charging-port–induced shutdowns, nor have regulators flagged similar incidents at Wawa charging locations.
Instead, experts generally describe these scenarios as cascading electrical failures, in which a fault in one component, such as a low-voltage battery or charging interface, triggers the vehicle to shut down as a protective measure. Because EVs rely heavily on electronic systems rather than mechanical linkages, the effects can feel more abrupt to drivers unfamiliar with the architecture.
That distinction matters, particularly as viral videos can blur the line between rare cases and everyday risk. A vehicle losing electronic functionality while stationary is fundamentally different from a propulsion failure at speed, and there is no indication that the Model Y in this case posed a driving hazard before it powered down.
The incident has nonetheless sparked renewed discussion about owner education, emergency preparedness, and how clearly manufacturers communicate fail-safe features. It also underscores how EV adoption increasingly depends on trust, not just technology. As charging infrastructure expands and vehicles become more software-dependent, even uncommon failures can feel alarming when they challenge basic expectations about control and access.
For this Tesla owner, the experience ended with a tow truck and a repair, not an injury. But the video highlights how moments like these resonate far beyond a single parking lot, shaping perceptions of electric vehicles one clip at a time.
InsideEVs reached out to Emma Renee via direct message and comment on the clip. We’ll update this if she responds.
