Mazda 3 (Artzzz/Bigstock.com)

An elderly couple in New Zealand spent nearly 13 hours trapped in their car because they had forgotten their remote locking device – which they believed offered the only way to open the doors.

Mollieanne and Brian Smith beeped the horn of their Mazda 3 to attract attention and attempted to smash a window in order to escape.

The car was parked in the garage of their home in Alexandra on New Zealand's South Island.

According to the Otago Times the couple did not realise they could open their doors from the inside by using one of the handles.

Mrs Smith was unconscious and her husband was having severe difficulty breathing when they were found by neighbours the next morning, who called an ambulance.

Another half an hour in the vehicle and they may have died, according to emergency services.

The couple had used a car jack in an attempt to smash a window, but without success.

Mr Smith told the Otago Times: "Once I found out how simple it was to unlock it I kicked myself that I did not find the way out.

"Educate yourselves on how to operate your car before using it," Mr Smith advised readers.

Mr Glenn Harris, Mazda New Zealand's general manager, explained to the newspaper that the couple's predicament was an industry first: "It's not a design flaw with the car", said Harris.

Being trapped inside a car in such a manner is certainly not an issue encountered very often by our car breakdown specialists.