why do automatics allow you to slip from

[shortylickens]

reverse to neutral and drive to neutral without pressing the button?

And why do they allow you to slip from neutral to drive?

 

[MiataNC]

From in gear to neutral seems like a nod to safety to me. Stuck throttles have always been and will always remain a potential issue.

From neutral to drive without using the button is puzzling.

 

[MiataNC]

From in gear to neutral seems like a nod to safety to me. Stuck throttles have always been and will always remain a potential issue.

From neutral to drive without using the button is puzzling.

 

[phucheneh]

It should be R-N and N-D. I'm not sure what the thinking really is...always just assumed it was for ease of swapping from reverse to drive when backing out of a parking spot. The other 'no button' area is shifting up through the forward gears (1-2-D or 1-2-3/D-D/OD). You can only go up; never down.

I think older cars would do D-N, but IIRC this has generally been stopped. I presume it's to help morons who drive increasingly distracted, and with crap strewn about everywhere. Don't want them bumping the shifter in neutral, panicking at their suddenly 'broken' car, and crashing into a bus full of nuns.

It's all kinda moot, though, as one definite change in latemodel cars has been to the interlock mechanism, which may or may not be two seperate devices in the shifter. One function is to lock out shifting from park without the key turned forward, and the other function to lock out most changes without your foot on the brake, even if you press the button (also a reason why fewer shifters even HAVE buttons). Notably, you can no longer take a car in neutral and shove the shifter straight into park. This was really annoying when it suddenly started happening, after years of being able to lean in the window of a car, pop the shifter forward, and start the car.

 

[WilliamM2]

It should be R-N and N-D. I'm not sure what the thinking really is...always just assumed it was for ease of swapping from reverse to drive when backing out of a parking spot. The other 'no button' area is shifting up through the forward gears (1-2-D or 1-2-3/D-D/OD). You can only go up; never down.

I've can shift down without using the button. Current car doesn't even have a button.

 

[phucheneh]

Well, yeah. Devices without buttons rarely require you to press the button.

 

[Midwayman]

I've can shift down without using the button. Current car doesn't even have a button.

Neither does mine, but does it have a layout that requires a push to the side to hit R? Most newer automatics seems to be favoring this layout along with electronic lockout.