hidden key holes | DashboardSymbols.com

Stress Dangers

In our last post, we discussed the gap in the knowledge of automotive technology in first responders, as represented by a video from truthaboutcars.com and YouTube. It featured a man pulled over in his Tesla for having a computer mounted on his dashboard. The item is linked here.

But as we thought more about this, the video painted a very clear picture of how people tend to react to stressful situations.

The driver pulled over describes the computer as “his only center console” when he clearly meant something else and stated that it handles his air conditioning.

In truth, it is the car’s entire instrument panel! The screen offers control of everything, as well as a view to the functioning of the car, and mapping, etc. The center console is simply not in play.

A Thank You

Some weeks earlier, we had received this thank you (right) for one of our videos, covering a Mini in this case. We’ve transcribed it here, ‘as is’.

“Thank you 73 year old lady, 2013 mini nervous and panicked in parking lot with dead FOB yesterday. Your video heloed get everything up and running. Hard to read a manual with out reading glasses in stress situation. Thank you again.”

She describes perfectly the difficulty people face solving a problem and reading a manual while under stress. And stress is the central theme.

She identifies herself as 73, and the stress is due to the all too common key fob problem that we put a great deal of emphasis on here at DashboardSymbols.com. The video we discussed earlier puts the stress of being pulled over on full display.

Is Age the Issue?

But first we also get to once again dispel the ageism myth. The driver in the video is clearly quite young and still stutters and stammers his way through his interactions with the police officer.

This reaction to stress happens to us all irrespective of age, and returns us to our primary thesis. The relentless increase in automotive technology continues to outpace driver knowledge. And for those of you tempted to blame the driver for lack of effort, we will repeat that all of us learn by use and repetition, and if a new problem crops up, it will make little difference whether or not the driver has read about it in the manual months earlier.

And it is all too often the little things — and things that could easily be removed from the equation, taking us back to key fobs. If the battery in the fob dies, there is a back up plan, but there is no standardization. We know of and have documented exposing hidden keys holes from 15 manufacturers, a dozen variations for retrieving the standard ‘hard’ key from the fob, and over 50 distinct starting variations.

The hidden key holes are a particularly pointless exercise intended only to make a square inch of the car prettier. What it does in truth is leave drivers with dead key fobs vulnerable outside of their cars, fumbling for a mechanical key and trying to expose a lock cylinder. Will it happen on a warm summer day at home? Most likely it will be dark, rainy, cold, snowy, or in a parking garage with cell service blocked.

Make no mistake, these are safety issues and the responsibility lies with the manufacturer to make getting in to the relative safety of the car as easy as possible, and the majority of manufacturers are failing.

At the very least, once inside a manual can be consulted to get help to get the car started, but remember that stress is still in play.

Only a few manufacturers give a useful message if starting the car fails as shown to the right. And while we had at one time hoped that the industry would move to make this clear in every vehicle, most still simply refer the driver to the manual.

Unfortunately, it will take someone getting hurt or worse, or a manufacturer getting sued before this will change, and even if it does, there will be millions of vehicles already on the road holding tight to the old ways.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

M Favreau

The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY

Keyless Start Dangers

The New York Times recently (August 2018) published an article about a problem inherent with keyless start cars. Specifically the phenomenon of drivers pulling into their garages and, lacking the need to remove a key from the ignition switch, walking away with the vehicle still running. The home fills with odorless carbon monoxide, injuring or killing the occupants.

The problem is real and in this article we will echo the calls for action, expand on the danger, add some comments on potential solutions, and finally add our primary concerns to the mix.

The article notes that since 2006 there have been more than two dozen carbon monoxide deaths attributed to keyless start cars left running in garages. And many more have been injured with some left brain damaged. Its an excellent read and goes into great depth.

Now if your first thought is why would someone walk away from a running car, there are two answers. First, even gasoline powered cars today are remarkably quiet, particularly at idle. Second, since most of these vehicles will lock themselves if left unattended, some drivers expect that an unattended car cars will shut itself off as well. Some will, but it cannot be assumed.

A Danger Inside

There is an additional danger in hybrid cars. These may be operating on battery power when brought inside, and thus be dead quiet. However, if the ignition is left on, the internal combustion engine will eventually fire up to recharge the battery.

There is only one viable solution. Each and every keyless start vehicle on the road must shut itself down if left unattended or if no action is taken after an agreed upon time. This will mean lots of recalls, but it is the only sure fire solution.

The Times article talks about the Society of Automotive Engineers, which called for among other things adding a series of beeps to alert the driver that a car when the key fob is removed. But I will add a personal anecdote that will illustrate why this idea should be shut down. The Times piece also bemoans the lack of regulations here, which we’ll touch on in a moment.

And on to the anecdote. Shortly after buying a pre-owned car some years ago, I walked away leaving the headlights lights on. After a 10 hour day, I needed a jump start. Testing this sometime later proved that the car beeped itself silly when the door was open while the lights were still on.

There are beeps and whistles and lights in todays vehicles for everything under the sun, and for the most part, they simply aren’t heard anymore. There’s simply no guarantee that sound will get a driver’s attention.

The same engineer’s group also recommends having vehicles shut themselves down, and the discussion should simply end there. The article also noted that engineers with Toyota wanted more than audible warnings, but were rebuffed by the company. Dollars and cents are always an issue no matter how much they shouldn’t be.

Hidden Keyholes

One of our primary concerns here at DashboardSymbols.com is drivers left stranded by key fobs that have gone dead. I have sat with drivers who were stunned when I pulled a mechanical key from their fobs. We have spoken with others who knew of the key and thought it was only for the glove box.

And you simply haven’t lived until you’ve tried to talk someone through the process of prying off a piece of their car to unlock it over the phone. A dozen major auto manufacturers are now responsible for this useless bit of aggravation.

And of course, the instructions for getting inside are locked inside the car!

Its relatively easy to ascertain that a car was left running causing a carbon monoxide death. But drivers trying to work put how to get in and start their cars if their key fobs have died could very well be in very vulnerable circumstances — dark parking garages, rainy parking lots, etc. If one them is set upon, will it even be possible to conclude that they were vulnerable because their keys had died. Will first responders make the connection?

So, should any and all of this be regulated? Likely yes. But forget that. These are safety issues pure and simple, and to all auto manufacturers, it is in your own best interest to keep your drivers safe! How is this even a question?

Manufacturers, make sure your keyless start cars will shut themselves down if left unattended. All of them. And give your drivers an app with at least instructions on how to get in and start the car or better yet an app that can unlock and start the car for them. Keep your drivers safe.

You want a customer for life right? How about helping to make sure its a good long life.