Mr Smith said his message for owners of ''keyless''cars - not just Mazda models - was to educate themselves on how to op

[August West]

I've got sympathy for old folks who have trouble figuring things out.

[M A V I C]

deckeda wrote:
- On this model, pulling an interior handle will supposedly not release the lock.

Somehow I don't believe that. That seems like a major safety issue. If the battery dies, or you drive into water... you can't open the door? I highly doubt that.

http://jalopnik.com/dopey-old-couple-alm...1672832892

This was very close to being an actual tragedy, and one that could have been prevented by — and this is where you cringe — pulling the door handle.

[GGD]

''Once I found out how simple it was to unlock it I kicked myself that I did not find the way out ... I had this mind-set that I did not have the transponder [so I could not get out].''

The car salesperson had made it seem the car would not work without the transponder, he said.

He now knew the manual lock was the same as the inside door handle on many other vehicles.

I'm still wondering how the doors got locked in the first place. I've been in cars that automatically lock the doors when you start the car, or put it into gear, and unlock them when you put it into Park and turn off the engine, but that couldn't have happened since they didn't have the key.

And from the picture MAVIC posted, I see that besides the familiar mechanical unlock button right next to each door handle there is an electric lock/unlock button on the driver's door. I'm suspecting that lock button was pressed to lock them in, and immediately pressing the button less than an inch below it would have unlocked them. On my cars those electric locks work without the key, even the cars made long before keyless ignition.

What did they own before this car?

[M A V I C]

GGD wrote:
I'm still wondering how the doors got locked in the first place. I've been in cars that automatically lock the doors when you start the car, or put it into gear, and unlock them when you put it into Park and turn off the engine, but that couldn't have happened since they didn't have the key.

I let that one pass because they could have opened the doors, locked it, set the key down, then got in. I'll give them that much slack.

And from the picture MAVIC posted, I see that besides the familiar mechanical unlock button right next to each door handle there is an electric lock/unlock button on the driver's door. I'm suspecting that lock button was pressed to lock them in, and immediately pressing the button less than an inch below it would have unlocked them. On my cars those electric locks work without the key, even the cars made long before keyless ignition.

I've read elsewhere, and think I see in the picture, that the lock/unlock switch is a mechanical one. You flip it back and forth. I read it was dark in the car, and apparently they couldn't figure out how to turn on the interior lights, or exterior lights and thus illuminate key interior buttons.

But they did manage to crawl in the back, get the spare tire jack out, and smack at a window. Of course, they probably tried the rear window instead of the door windows.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

cbelt3 wrote:
R . T . F . M .

As good advice as it ever was.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

Paul F. wrote:
[quote=cbelt3]
R . T . F . M .

O.T.D.D. (Open The Damn Door)

I would have kept quiet... the door handle is RIGHT THERE!
And, if you can't break the window with the jack, you're doing it wrong (but at least that I can understand if you're getting a bit older...).
FWIW... I drive a keyless vehicle -- the door locks automatically engage when I reach 15 MPH and they do NOT unlock when I engage the interior door handle. To unlock the doors on my car, I must either

a) come to a stop, put the vehicle into Park, and shut off the engine
b) use the door lock/unlock switch... which is located directly adjacent to the interior door handle

This ain't rocket science.

[RAMd®d]

Somehow I don't believe that.

Not relevant.

A number of cars have doors that won't open unless they are unlocked first. Pulling the handle will not unlock the door.

I do agree that it's a safety hazard. Get in a strange car, lock the door, or the door locks automatically, and in an emergency you panic and can't find the locking mechanism.

If this particular model's locked doors open just by pulling the handle, it's unfortunate they didn't try it anyway, despite what they might have been told.


I've got sympathy for old folks who have trouble figuring things out.

Agreed.

Fortunately, it's not a problem for many forum experts that apparently can out-MacGyver MacGyver, and have steadier nerves than a Delta Force operator.

We They can blame the folks all they want. But just like router manufacturers who initially gave less than lip-service to router security, anybody who sells or rents a car should make sure the buyer/renter is completely familiar with new tech that directly affects safety.

Don't leave it to the manual. Tell them, show them, and then show them where it's at in the manual.

Something like this could easily happen to the judgmental jackasses when they get older. I bet they wouldn't have the balls to come forward for the sake of others.

Is any car so airtight that you could really run out of breathable air overnight?

It's all a situation.

It's not so much of getting are in but getting CO₂ out. You're talking about older people with probably less than maximum lung efficiency. If the vents for the air or A/C were closed, it could be a problem.

It's unfortunate that this happened. It's also unfortunate that their good deed of talking about this does not go unpunished.

The lack of empathy is also disappointing, but not at all unexpected.

[M A V I C]

N-OS X-tasy! wrote:
FWIW... I drive a keyless vehicle -- the door locks automatically engage when I reach 15 MPH and they do NOT unlock when I engage the interior door handle.

Even if you pull it twice? I haven't been in many cars, but I've never seen one that wouldn't unlock without pulling it once or twice.

[mrlynn]

RAMd®d wrote:
A number of cars have doors that won't open unless they are unlocked first. Pulling the handle will not unlock the door.

I just went out to our 'new' (to us) 2013 Ford Expedition, got in and used the power lock button to lock the doors. Then I pulled the handle on the driver's side door: opened right up. Same with the passenger side. Did not try the back two doors, but assume they have the child-safe option that prevents the doors from being opened from inside (if activated—I should check that, as we carry grandkids).

I don't think I'd buy a car with a driver's door I couldn't open from inside when stopped. And frankly, I am not crazy about the auto-locking feature at X mph, which the Expy does have. I can imagine situations where I might want to open a door when the vehicle is moving. Have to try it.

It's not so much of getting are in but getting CO2 out. You're talking about older people with probably less than maximum lung efficiency. If the vents for the air or A/C were closed, it could be a problem.

I'm surprised to hear that any car is so tight that there would not be a modest amount of exchange with the outside, enough to trade CO2-laden air with fresher, even with the vents closed. Seems as though you'd notice closing the door—though I don't notice closing a refrigerator, and kids have suffocated to death in those, so I guess it's possible (that's why a local regulations require taking off the door of a 'fridge or freezer when disposing). And as I recall the VW Beetle back in the '60s was reputed to be so tight that it would float, like a boat. Still, I'm surprised. But then, most of my cars have been old, with tired gaskets and seals everywhere.

/Mr Lynn

[Lew Zealand]

In our Odyssey, if you are sitting in the car, unlock the doors and then do nothing, they relock themselves in 1 or 2 minutes. No user input necessary. Which makes the user look like an idiot when after that you go to open the door handle (which unlocks and opens the door) which sets the car alarm off.

Lights flashing, honking, general look-at-me mayhem while the keys are dodging, weaving, and parrying attempts to corral them and hit the unlock button. Much hilarity.