A family in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland got a shock when a man wearing a balaclava tried but failed to carjack their Tesla earlier this week.
The attempted carjacking happened on Ngapipi Rd in Ōrākei on Tuesday about 7:30pm.
The man failed to open the passenger door because he couldn't grasp the retractable handle, which sits flush with the Model 3's door panel.
A young girl was sleeping inside the car when it happened. Her father was on his way to pick up food for his mother, the Herald reported.
Video footage from the Tesla's multiple cameras shows the wannabe-thief stopping behind the Tesla in a Nissan Navara ute, before he jumps out and runs towards the Tesla's driver door.
He tries, and fails, to open the door handle for about 10 seconds. He then smashes the car door and windows, the Tesla owner said.
But the lights turned green and the Tesla driver took off.
A police spokesperson told Newshub a person tried to enter another motorist's vehicle "in an aggressive manner" about 7:30pm on Tuesday.
"Police are making enquiries into the matter," they added.
Social media users have reacted in droves to the fail.
"It's not the first time those clever handles have prevented crime. Good job, Tesla," said one person posting on the Kiwi EV adventures Facebook group.
"Stealing a car that is GPS tracked, has 8 [cameras] recording and the owner has the ability to stop the car from their app on their phone is peak dumb," one person commented on Reddit.
Meanwhile, the Tesla owner didn't think it was so funny, saying the carjacking was "quite a serious matter". He said the carjacker was "driving like an idiot" and tailgated him for a while before the failed theft.
The Tesla owner said he tried to speed away, but he had to stop at a red light and so the carjacker caught up to him.
There was no damage to the Tesla other than a dented panel, the driver said.
"It's annoying because it's under my insurance excess."
