An Antioch family’s electric vehicle suddenly shut down due to a faulty battery, trapping a 12-month-old child inside for 30 minutes as the family scrambled to unlock it — and they eventually figured out the car’s single metal key is hidden in a fob accessed through the rear hatch.
In January, an Antioch family’s 2024 Cadillac Lyriq lost power due to a faulty 12-volt battery just after the mother, Lacey Gunn, had placed her 12-month-old in a car seat and walked around to help her toddler into the vehicle, as KGO’s 7 On Your Side reports.
The car, which is owned by the children’s grandparents, became unresponsive, with the electronic door handles failing to deploy, as KGO reports. The key fob did not unlock the doors, and the Cadillac mobile app was also unable to regain access.
While retrieving the physical, metal car key would have been the main solution in the past, many newer, luxury EVs, including the Lyriq, solely come with a battery-powered, digital key in place of the traditional key, according to the site SlashGear.
As KGO reports, the infant remained trapped inside the vehicle for almost half an hour as the family rushed to find a solution.
“The baby starts to cry and is becoming really upset,” Erika Tinoco, the children’s grandmother, told KGO. “It was a cold winter morning. She’s in there by herself!”
General Motors’ in-vehicle safety and support service, OnStar, unsuccessfully tried to unlock the car remotely, and the service was unable to offer other solutions on how to access the car.
“No success!” Tinoco said. “They couldn’t give me any other alternatives on how to access the car. Nothing.”
7 On Your Side reports that after calling 911 and considering breaking a window, the family learned via ChatGPT that a physical key is hidden inside the key fob in the Lyriq, which can be accessed through the rear hatch. They then opened the trunk and retrieved the baby after about 27 minutes.
“She pulls out the baby through the trunk. At that point, baby is crying. She’s already soiled herself,” Tinoco said. “She had been in there for 27 minutes all by herself!”
The vehicle’s 12-volt battery was found to be faulty and was replaced, with an OnStar diagnostic report also flagging electrical issues, per KGO. An OnStar technician told the family the failure caused the system to shut down and enter lock mode.
Tinoco told KGO she contacted the dealership and later filed a formal complaint with Cadillac seeking answers about the failure and whether it could happen again, but said she did not receive clear explanations.
“Safety is a priority for Cadillac and General Motors,” the company wrote in a statement. “We are sorry to hear about this situation this customer encountered.” The company added that the hidden key in the hatch is explained in the owner’s manual.
Posts on a Cadillac forum show other drivers reporting issues with the Lyriq’s 12-volt battery, as KGO reports, including some involving the 2026 model. GM said it works with federal regulators to determine when recalls are necessary and confirmed the 2024 Lyriq has not been subject to a 12-volt battery-related recall.
Cadillac declined Tinoco’s request to buy back the car’s lease, stating the case does not meet Lemon Law criteria.
While it’s important for car owners to read the manual before operating a vehicle to be aware of what to do in emergency situations, as the Guessing Headlights reports, vehicles that rely on all-electronic controls still pose risks no matter how prepared the driver is.
Additionally, situations involving failed 12-volt batteries are not unique to this model or even to electric vehicles. As Guessing Headlines reports, most modern cars, including gas and hybrid models, rely on a low-voltage battery to power electronic systems such as door locks, onboard computers, lighting, and keyless entry. If that battery fails, those systems can become unresponsive even if the main engine or high-voltage battery is still functional.
All automakers include physical backup entry methods, but some online commenters said electronically deployed handles and rear-hatch access can pose problems during outages, particularly if alternative entry points like the rear hatch are blocked or inaccessible.
Others noted how OnStar neglected to tell the family about the hidden physical key, which would have helped shorten this traumatic incident.
And in the age of insidious surveillance, one can’t help but wonder if doing away with traditional keys was yet another way to track consumers — at the expense of safety.
Image: Alexander-93/Wikimedia
Related: Tesla to Redesign Door Handles Following 140 Reports of Trapped Occupants, Feds Investigating
