A resident of a boutique apartment building in Tel Aviv narrowly avoided serious injury three months ago when the building’s robotic parking system began descending while she was still standing inside the mechanism.
The woman had summoned her car from the 12-space automated facility in Tel Aviv when, she said, the gates suddenly closed and the platform started moving downward without warning. She managed to press herself against a wall and alert a technician, who stopped the system remotely.
Trapped in an automated parking system as her car began to descend
Residents say the near-accident was the most serious in a string of malfunctions that have plagued the system since it became operational in March 2023. Despite repeated complaints to the developer and maintenance company over the past three years, they allege the problems were never properly resolved.
“I went to open the side mirror, and then the gates closed,” she said. “I was about to call to report a malfunction when I heard the noise of the system starting to go down with the car.”
The resident said she happened to be standing on a side with relatively wide clearance, allowing her to press herself against the wall. “If I had been on the driver’s side, or if it had been a car with automatic mirrors, there would have been nowhere to escape. I would have been crushed.”
As the platform descended, a shaft several stories deep opened beneath it. She texted a technician, who managed to take remote control of the system after several minutes and stop it, allowing her to exit. She said she has since suffered anxiety and nightmares and now avoids using the parking facility, opting instead to search for street parking despite a shortage in the area.
A member of the building’s residents committee said problems began when the system was activated in March 2023. “From the first moment there were unusual malfunctions,” he said. “At first we were ignored, until we made more noise and even contacted a lawyer.” He added that the system installed was not the brand residents said had originally been promised by the developer.
Following the incident, residents stopped using the facility altogether. They say an inspection conducted on their behalf, based on a report issued by Electra Elevators, could not determine that the system was safe for use.
Beyond safety concerns, residents say the situation has caused financial harm. Some tenants have sought to leave or reduce rent, and apartment owners claim the inability to use the parking system has reduced property values by millions of shekels.
In a formal letter sent to the Tel Aviv city engineer, the project developer and Electra Elevators, residents described recurring system failures, sudden activations without warning and what they called a lack of comprehensive long-term repairs. They wrote that as early as November 2025 they had warned of “a real danger of the system operating without control and without sufficient warning.”
The residents are demanding that the system be replaced or undergo a full engineering inspection, that all defects be corrected in accordance with standards for automated parking facilities and that a safety certification be issued before it resumes operation. They said they would consider legal action if the issues are not fully addressed by March 31, 2026.
Electra Elevators said in a statement that the parking system is “advanced, safe and has served the residents properly for several years with professional and dedicated service.”
The project developer added that according to information it received, the malfunction stemmed from improper operation not in accordance with manufacturer instructions, and that Electra has issued a report confirming the system’s proper functioning. It said that despite not being responsible for the system, it sent an external inspector at its own expense, but residents did not allow the inspection to proceed. The company said it also financed alternative parking for residents and has scheduled a meeting with their representatives next week to seek a resolution.