OT: How can a car maker be this ...

irresponsible, inept, stupid, un-safety conscious, disconnected from the modern world, you fill in the blank...

Imagine you start your car, engage the transmission and drive off. The power door locks cycle and lock the doors. So far a good thing. Probably a result of some Federal requirement but still a good, common sense thing to do.

And then you arrive at your destination - a dark parking deck, an unfamiliar parking lot or perhaps you just stopped on the side of the street in a not so nice part of town to look at the map. What does the car do? IT UNLOCKS THE DOORS!

Unreal? No, TOYOTA. I just purchased a 2007 Corrola for the wife as a daily driver. As delivered the doors unlock when you place the transmission in park. Totally unnecessary as the inside door handles override the locks so you are not locked in.

The salesman was able to reprogram the power lock system to leave the doors locked. Only took about 15 minutes but that is another story. It is my understanding that this "feature" is built in to all of their power door lock packages (although some take less time to reprogram but that again is another story).

Where are all the lawyers when you need them? Imagine the tragedy when a woman drives into a less than desirable parking area, puts the car in park and in jumps a mugger, rapist, murderer or other malcontent. I find it hard to believe that Toyota, with its reputation for building solid, efficient, safe and reliable vehicles has done such a thing. End of rant.

Regards,

Ken

Ken, my Saturn Vue does the same thing and I dislike it for the same reason. I've actually gotten in the habit of keeping the car in Drive with the e-brake engaged and foot on the brake pedal (belt-n-suspenders) if I'm not happy with where I'm stopped.

Very frustrating, and - you're right - dumb.

R.

Did you ever think that the specs for the default setting may have been created by a government agency? I do not know that to be a fact, but I work at a major auto mfr and I can see Toyota from my desk. Used to be able to see Nissan before they moved to Tennessee.

All of the new vehicles that come from my employer do the same. I am not in position to know why, but when did you see multiple auto manufacturers do the same exact thing on any one characteristic?

It's not as much the default I don't like. It's the fix.

Sit in the driver's seat and fasten the seat/shoulder belt. All other seats in the car should be unoccupied and all doors closed!
Press the master lock on the driver's door to lock all doors
Remove the igniition key!
Insert the ignition key!
Turn the key to on (but not to start)
Hold the xyz button on the sound system down until you hear 2 short beeps and one long beep
Press and hold the ABC button on the heater controls
While still holding the ABC button, unlock the doors with the master switch
Open the driver's door.
Continue to hold the ABC button down
Now also hold down the master lock button on the driver's door
While holding down the ABC button on the center console, and holding down the master lock on the opened driver's door, turn the key to off, then to on, and repeat the sequence (3) times in 15 seconds
Release the driver's side master lock button
Continue to hold the ABC button
Close the drivers door
Release the ABC button
Remove the ignition key and insert it again (3) times in five seconds
Listen for 3 short beeps, followed by one long beep, followed by a steady 3 second tone, followed by 6 short beeps and one long beep.
Mode 3 (what should be) should now be selected

If not successful, please disconnect the car battery for 60 minutes, then reconnect, then reprogram the sound system and clock. Then repeat the steps above, making sure to complete all steps in the proper sequence and in the allotted time.

Frank-

You forgot that you need to be wearing blue socks and have Deep Purple playing on the radio when you execute the instructions.

Sa Hi to Dave Ling and Ken Tran if they either still work there and you know them

Holy Guacamole! Someone must have paid a programmer and a circuit designer a hundred grand to sleep together for a month! Jack

Just place your handgun on the dash when stopped in an "iffy" neighborhood.

:-)

Rich

*

I read about the unlocking feature a few months ago and I definitely did not like it.
I want to go out to my car and unlock only the door(s) I and if I have a passenger need to get in. There are times when I can't just drive off after starting the car, I have to let the windshield clear first so I can see where I'm going. The only times my doors are unlocked is when I'm entering or exiting the car. The only exception is the B. I don't bother to lock the doors when I park it, with the top down, what's the point. I do lock the doors while I'm driving. Since I don't have a CCWP and am either at a federal building or a school, putting the S&W on the dash just isn't an option, I can't even have it in the car.

i place the car in neutral; doors stay locked.

My mom's Cadillac's locks do the same thing.

My Mini locks when the car gets up to 5MPH or so and unlocks when you stop and remove the key. I like it.

Personally I do not like any car that locks the doors for you. Yes it MAY be safer in some towns BUT look at the otherside of the coin. You get pushed off the road by a semi, the engine remains running and you car is still in gear and you are unconscious.

Time is lost in trying to open a locked door and then mopre time in safely breaking in so that you can be extracted.

Sorry but give me a car that needs to be manually locked everytime.

Thanks folks for all the replies. The only car I have previously owned with power locks was a 2003 Dodge Neon (aka the blue turd) which was traded in on the Toyota. The locks on the Dodge would engage once the vehicle reached a given speed. The Toyota is the first time I came across the auto-unlock feature.

I guess I am somewhat sensitized to this issue because last year an employee at the company where I worked for 21 years was abducted from the parking deck across the street from the company headquarters and found murdered some days later. This in the reasonably safe city of Raleigh, NC. I only know the limited details of what made the news so I have no idea if her auto had any involvement in the events.

As I am now retired and need something to do when not working on the MG I guess I will have to fire off some correspondence to legislators, NTSB, local TV troubleshooters and so on. I always like a good windmill to tilt at. Guess that is why I have owned 4 MGs.

Regards,

Ken

p.s. As to the valid point about the downside of locked doors... The first thing I did after purchasing the Dodge (which also has power windows) was to stop at the auto store and buy one of those emergency hammer tools with the pointy end designed to shatter tempered glass. It is also the first thing to be transferred to the Toyota. At least if I am conscious I can break my way out. I would think that at least some persons arriving at a wreck would have the cognitive ability to figure out that they could smash a widow to get in.

Simon Wrote:

Why all the emphasis on women being in danger? Men can have the same worries, etc.

Rick,

You may have been lucky in your job. IN the real workld it DOES happen. I also sp[ent time in Rescue Units and have seen it happen.

I wrote my comment phrased hyperthetically BUT I lost a friend due to just that - a car wreck, driver unconscious (we hope), car burning, doors locked by the cars electrical system after engaging gears. In the time needed to break glass (in a way not to endager the driver further - glass or allowing flames to ingress more) and get in the driver had died.

Any car I have owned since then with auto locked the doors - I have disabled the system