When I had the '17 Ford Escape if my iPhone slipped off the console while moving that thing would act as alive with legs and would scoot between the seats and hide.
I've done EXACTLY what he did in order to locate and retrieve it, it would be well hidden. And it would be in a different place each time. Happened several times in 3 years that I drove it. The carpet being black and the phone case also being black didn't help much either.