This is a complaint about the risks of push button ignition and related automatic braking (or lack thereof).
The first time I drove the Mazda CX-5 (2021) I accidentally left the gear in drive, turned off the engine with the push button and exited the vehicle with the key, and I did not set the emergency brake. I was not familiar with the warning bell. The car was parked at the top of our driveway on a flat surface.
When my daughter exited the car, the force of just closing the door was sufficient to start the car rolling backwards. It rolled down our rather steep driveway, across the street and crashed into our neighbor's house. It was pure luck that no other vehicles or pedestrians were injured.
After investigation, it seems that this is a known problem with push button ignitions. People have been severely injured and even killed by similar roll away accidents!
This is unacceptable. If an engine can be turned off while the car is still in drive, then a backup safety system needs to be added. Possible solutions for situations such as mine when the gear is in drive, the engine is turned off, the seatbelt is unbuckled, the driver door is opened & closed, and the key is away from the vehicle (which are all indicators that the driver is not intending for the car to stay where it is): 1) there is an additional step required to turn off the engine if the gear is not in park, 2) the horn honks or some other very loud and noticeable warning systems sounds, 3) a brake is set that needs to be manually released, 4) if the car begins rolling backward, a brake is set to prevent the rolling
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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This is a complaint about the risks of push button ignition and related automatic braking (or lack thereof).
The first time I drove the Mazda CX-5 (2021) I accidentally left the gear in drive, turned off the engine with the push button and exited the vehicle with the key, and I did not set the emergency brake. I was not familiar with the warning bell. The car was parked at the top of our driveway on a flat surface.
When my daughter exited the car, the force of just closing the door was sufficient to start the car rolling backwards. It rolled down our rather steep driveway, across the street and crashed into our neighbor's house. It was pure luck that no other vehicles or pedestrians were injured.
After investigation, it seems that this is a known problem with push button ignitions. People have been severely injured and even killed by similar roll away accidents!
This is unacceptable. If an engine can be turned off while the car is still in drive, then a backup safety system needs to be added. Possible solutions for situations such as mine when the gear is in drive, the engine is turned off, the seatbelt is unbuckled, the driver door is opened & closed, and the key is away from the vehicle (which are all indicators that the driver is not intending for the car to stay where it is): 1) there is an additional step required to turn off the engine if the gear is not in park, 2) the horn honks or some other very loud and noticeable warning systems sounds, 3) a brake is set that needs to be manually released, 4) if the car begins rolling backward, a brake is set to prevent the rolling
- Tamara D., Arlington, US