New cars are too smart for their own good.

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Mursilis

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
I'm with you ZV. I also hate my wife's Odyssey because the doors lock if you go over 10 mph. I know a lot of cars do this, but my Maxima does not so I'm not used to having to press "unlock" every time I park. It drives me freaking nuts to park the van then go to pull open the rear hatch only to remember it had locked itself on my behalf.

I have that same gripe; what's the point of auto-locking the car? How does it make me any safer? Does it auto-unlock if there's an accident? What if I'm in an accident and become unconscious? Is someone going to have to break a window to get me out?

The cars I've driven have all unlocked the door if the inside handle is pulled (pulling on the inside handle, even with the door "locked" will still open it). The point, at least on my Volvo, is that if the doors are unlocked, so is the trunk and anyone could run up and open it by pulling on the exterior handle, but I think that's more of a European thing.

As far as in an accident, chances are the door will be jammed anyway and most (all?) cars will automatically unlock the doors if the airbags are triggered.

ZV

 

[LTC8K6]

In most newer cars a lot of the automatic stuff can be turned off or set the way you want it. You can almost always turn off the automatic door locks, for example.

Most people just don't want to bother finding out how to do it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
In most newer cars a lot of the automatic stuff can be turned off or set the way you want it. You can almost always turn off the automatic door locks, for example.

Most people just don't want to bother finding out how to do it.

True enough, but it's absolutely ridiculous that the procedures for turning the systems on and off go something like this:

1) Turn key from the "Off" position to the "Run" position (without starting the engine) three times, leaving the key in the "Run" position the last time.
2) Press the "Unlock" button for the power door locks twice.
3) Turn the key from "Run" to "Off" and then back to "Run".
4) Press the "Unlock" button once.
5) Horn will beep twice (long, then short) to confirm that auto-lock has been turned off, or twice (short, then long) to confirm that auto-lock is active.

The procedure should be this:

1) Flip the auto-lock switch to the Off position.

ZV

 

[LTC8K6]

I just scroll through all the Personal Settings on the info display and set them all up the way I want...

 

[rh71]

I had to buckle up the seat belt behind my 11lb dog to get it to stop chiming. No given option to turn it off.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
In most newer cars a lot of the automatic stuff can be turned off or set the way you want it. You can almost always turn off the automatic door locks, for example.

Most people just don't want to bother finding out how to do it.

True enough, but it's absolutely ridiculous that the procedures for turning the systems on and off go something like this:

1) Turn key from the "Off" position to the "Run" position (without starting the engine) three times, leaving the key in the "Run" position the last time.
2) Press the "Unlock" button for the power door locks twice.
3) Turn the key from "Run" to "Off" and then back to "Run".
4) Press the "Unlock" button once.
5) Horn will beep twice (long, then short) to confirm that auto-lock has been turned off, or twice (short, then long) to confirm that auto-lock is active.

The procedure should be this:

1) Flip the auto-lock switch to the Off position.

ZV

You forgot to add step 6) Exit vehicle, run backwards around the vehicle 3 times counterclockwise.

 

[LTC8K6]

Mine has all sorts of settings on the display that you can look at and change.

Like, do you want the driver's door to unlock first with the remote, and then the rest of the doors, or all the doors at once?

Do you want the doors to auto lock?

Do you want the headlights to turn on with the windshield wipers?

Etc.

 

[bruceb]

My 1999 Grand Prix will not unlock by just pulling the inside handle. I have it set to Lock when I put it in Gear. It will release the locks automatically when the Ignition key has been removed. And on that car, no annoying seat belt buzzer for the passenger seat.

As to disabling it, yes, for the dealer to do it, it is illegal for Liability reasons.
Someone could end up suing them for injuries from not buckling up, claiming that the car did not remind them to .. all this thanks to NHTSA .. It is, however, legal to disable it yourself. Just put a switch in the wire to the sensor in the seat. Then if you need it back on when there are passengers, just flip the switch back to the On position.

 

[Jahee]

Why doesn't everyone just do up the seatbelt behind the object? Simple enough?

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
I'm with you ZV. I also hate my wife's Odyssey because the doors lock if you go over 10 mph. I know a lot of cars do this, but my Maxima does not so I'm not used to having to press "unlock" every time I park. It drives me freaking nuts to park the van then go to pull open the rear hatch only to remember it had locked itself on my behalf.

You know you can turn that off? You can set it to unlock the doors when you park.

RTFM!!!

 

[vshah]

current gen civics go insane if somoene doesn't wear their seatbelt. but a laptop bag/a few groceries doesn't trigger the alarm, just disables the airbag.

 

[Gillbot]

My work van has the same nag light and yes, it's annoying.

 

[heymrdj]

You know people the automatic door locks wouldn't be such a nag if you've ever had a young child open on the inside door handle thinking it was locked and then fall out (i did this when i was 5 years old, door flew open, and we were doing 65mph, i would have been dead if i had fallen out but my mother grabbed my arm and yanked me back in). Also, if you hate the nag lights, wear the fucking seatbelt. It pisses me off to know end how people think it's a good idea to not where your seatbelt in a car. Would you go on a carnival ride and not where one? A car is no different. If the light is nagging you buckle the seatbelt with nothing in there. It's more "complexity, performance loss blah blah blah" to add systems to kill the safety systems. And to those saying that performance loss, weight, and more blah blah, all the sensors, wiring, and computing for a vehicles safety system wouldn't even equate to 20 pounds, you think you're going to save .01mpg? Go kiss a tree, you'll get more out of it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
You know people the automatic door locks wouldn't be such a nag if you've ever had a young child open on the inside door handle thinking it was locked and then fall out (i did this when i was 5 years old, door flew open, and we were doing 65mph, i would have been dead if i had fallen out but my mother grabbed my arm and yanked me back in). Also, if you hate the nag lights, wear the fucking seatbelt. It pisses me off to know end how people think it's a good idea to not where your seatbelt in a car. Would you go on a carnival ride and not where one? A car is no different. If the light is nagging you buckle the seatbelt with nothing in there. It's more "complexity, performance loss blah blah blah" to add systems to kill the safety systems. And to those saying that performance loss, weight, and more blah blah, all the sensors, wiring, and computing for a vehicles safety system wouldn't even equate to 20 pounds, you think you're going to save .01mpg? Go kiss a tree, you'll get more out of it.

1) Teach the idiot children not to pull on the door handles.
2) Put the idiot children in the back seat and engage the child safety lever that disables the internal lever regardless of whether the door is locked or not.

Also, since most auto-lock systems are set up such that pulling on the inside handle will open the door even if it's locked, they won't stop the scenario you described.

Lastly, did you even read the thread? The issue isn't the nag light when there's a person in the seat, the issue is that the nag light (and corresponding buzzer) comes on even when the only thing on the seat is a bag of groceries or a laptop computer. You know, things that don't need a G-D seat belt. No-one here is suggesting that people shouldn't wear their seat belts. They're only saying that the lights are pointless and annoying because they come on in situations where there is legitimately no need for a seat belt.

ZV

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
2) Put the idiot children in the back seat and engage the child safety lever that disables the internal lever regardless of whether the door is locked or not.

Which *ahem* you should be doing anyway, since not all cars will disable the passenger airbag, and you do NOT want that to go off in the face of a young child.

Children belong on the backseat, buckled up. End of story. And if they're too stupid not to open the door while moving, put on the child safety lock. That or drive a police cruiser.

I would have been dead twenty times over by the time I got out of high school if I relied on "safety features" to keep me safe, instead of my own good sense.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Jahee
Why doesn't everyone just do up the seatbelt behind the object? Simple enough?

because it's a weight sensor, not a buckle lock sensor.

luckily for me it's just a light in my car... rarely do I set it off. But if need be, I can paint/tape the inside of the cover so nothing shows. I did that for my TPMS because I don't have them anymore and didn't want to see the light.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I have asked about removing mine in my Audi, as my dog gets it to go off all of the time...

they said it's illegal :S

Leave the passenger belt permanently buckled??