Safety surprises - Is this normal?

[Tdub0527]

Hi all,

I tried searching for this topic but didn't really see anything. If this is a topic already with deep discussion threads just point me in their direction!

I've experienced two things that surprise me about the Bronco's safety features.

#1: Today I turned the car off and forgot to put it in park. I got out of my car to the surprise that my Bronco was rolling backwards. I jumped in and fixed my mistake and no people or vehicles were hurt (maybe my ego a bit, rather embarrassing that people saw it). The cars I've driven in the past decade all had safety features to not allow this to happen. My BMW X3 and the Odyssey I just traded in would automatically put the car into park when you opened the door (also only shifted by buttons, not a shift lever). My Saab 93 and Honda Pilot before that were vehicles with actual keys and you couldn't remove the key if the car was in gear.

I think the answer is I just need to get used to this but wanted to double check if this shouldn't be happening so I can get it fixed. I am poorly conditioned by my previous vehicles and will need to learn this new behavior of double checking its in park. Yes, I feel like an idiot even bringing up this. Note: It was making a "dinging alarm" when I jumped back in to stop it rolling. Perhaps that is their solution for safety.

#2: The seat belt dummy alarm doesn't go off if anyone in the vehicle takes off their seat belt while the car is in motion. Again, every car I've owned in the last decade has a feature that can annoy the hell out of you but it is something I've grown accustomed to. Again, I think I'll just need to get used to it but if there is a setting I need to adjust or if this should get checked out let me know.

All this is to say I'm having concerns about what I'd consider decent issues but the vehicle has an alert to check the backseat for kids in carseats (I've turned that alert off and also believe this is a law for new vehicles). Just seems like an imbalance safety features that could also prevent accidents.

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[GravyTrain]

And of course it honks at you if you get out of the car with the keys while it's running. What was Job 1 again Ford?

 

[Ducati1098]

I don’t know about #2 because I haven’t noticed it, but I feel like #1 should be pretty obvious. If you don’t put the vehicle in park, it’s not going to be in park Sounds pretty normal to me. This isn’t something that needs to be addressed or fixed for any safety reason in my opinion.

 

[Tdub0527]

I don’t know about #2 because I haven’t noticed it, but I feel like #1 should be pretty obvious. If you don’t put the vehicle in park, it’s not going to be in park Sounds pretty normal to me. This isn’t something that needs to be addressed or fixed for any safety reason in my opinion.

Totally get that is the answer. I also feel kinda like an idiot even asking. However, with vehicles not having physical keys to prevent you from leaving the car without putting it in gear I think it is something worth asking. Like I said, I had two vehicles that didn't use a gear shifter so I am going to need to get used to that again. Also, in those vehicles if you got out of the car and it was in gear or in neutral it would automatically put it in park. Or if you turned the car off in gear it would put it in park for you.

I can say in my 22 years of driving I have never had anything like that happen to me in a car. While different circumstance, an actor died after his car pinned him when he thought it was in park.

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[TX-Hans]

The Bronco shifting uses shift by physical cable to the transmission (old fashioned) versus electronic shift by wire (modern), which it sounds like you are used to. The latter is nice and much more sophisticated than the former. Love it on my Escalade (if you even open the driver door while in gear, it puts it in park automatically and puts on electronic emergency brake) and miss it on the Bronco but it makes sense given it is an off road vehicle and too many safety features will frustrate using it off road. Imagine being off road and you open your door to check clearance below your rock rail or to see your line and it suddenly shifts out of 4 L and into park. With the Bronco, you just have to be mindful when operating and it will be become second nature with time.

 

[Blackcat]

answer to question 2 is the Bronco just doesn’t give a sh$t about your occupants.

 

[‘21OBX]

I’m not sure how dang fast you ran out of your bronco!! Mine displays a warning message vehicle not in park and chimes at you if you hit the ignition button to turn it off while not in park. Very annoying when your removing the center console.
It also absolutely warns you with a warning screen on the dash and even an animated shot of which seatbelt is unfastened. Maybe the seatbelt one you have to turn on in the settings.

 

[BlueBronco]

Both are non issues. As you said, the Bronco sounded a warning chime when you didn't put the vehicle in park upon shutting off the engine.

As far as the seat belt thing, as pointed out, not only does it sound a warning if a passenger unbuckles their seat belt but a warning is displayed on the instrument cluster as well and it even shows who unbuckles their belt.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Both are non issues. As you said, the Bronco sounded a warning chime when you didn't put the vehicle in park upon shutting off the engine.

As far as the seat belt thing, as pointed out, not only does it sound a warning if a passenger unbuckles their seat belt but a warning is displayed on the instrument cluster as well and it even shows who unbuckles their belt.

Odd. I've never seen that screen when a passenger takes a belt off. Just the little white belt icon with the number.

 

[BlueBronco]

Odd. I've never seen that screen when a passenger takes a belt off. Just the little white belt icon with the number.

21 or 22? Maybe it was another chip/module cutback.

 

[Tdub0527]

I see that warning when getting in the car and everyone is putting on their belts but I don't see if if someone were to take off their belt while moving or if I move before all belts are on there is no warning chime like my other vehicles. Sounds like this is likely just me needing to get used to a different type of vehicle which I absolutely am willing to do for this amazing Bronco!

 

[Tdub0527]

I’m not sure how dang fast you ran out of your bronco!! Mine displays a warning message vehicle not in park and chimes at you if you hit the ignition button to turn it off while not in park. Very annoying when your removing the center console.
It also absolutely warns you with a warning screen on the dash and even an animated shot of which seatbelt is unfastened. Maybe the seatbelt one you have to turn on in the settings.

Oh I was moving fast! Picking the kids up from after school care and always am making that snappy. I thought someone honked warning me it was rolling backwards but now that I think of it I think that was my bronco that honked and telling me, HEY TURN ME OFF YOU IDIOT!

 

[Tricky Dick]

21 or 22? Maybe it was another chip/module cutback.

21

 

[AK SNO RIDER]

What you call a safety feature I call a massive headache

If I had a vehicle that put itself in park every time I got out I'd be desperately trying to figure out how to disable it.

 

[604Bronco]

21

You may need to turn that on/off on the driver cluster. I saw it on mine and unchecked it. I’d rather see my “calming screen”

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