Author Topic: Yeah, I need a sense of perspective. (sigh). (Read 2905 times)

Roark · « **on:** January 05, 2009, 05:36:47 AM »

Okay. Time to vent. Yes, we have war in the Middle East, AIDS is kicking some major buttski everywhere, and a goodly percentage of the world goes to bed hungry. But you know what REALLY irks me?

Toyotas. Specifically the Camry.

Truth be told, it's a great car. Reliable. Good mileage. Runs like a raped-ape when you mash the little pedal... and sucks-down on the pavement like a 2-ton leech when you yank on the reins. And then the blasted thing LOCKS IT"S DOORS automatically when you put it into gear.

I HATE that last part. HATE IT!!! If it's little cotton-pickin' pea-brained toaster-controller is bright enough to LOCK the blasted doors when you put it into gear, why isn't it bright enough to UNLOCK the doors when you turn-off the ignition? Hello? Earth to Toyota? Anybody else tired of this little "feature"? (Or have I simply lost all sense of perspective and need to volunteer more at the local hospice?)

Anybody know how to disable this FEATURE? At this point I'm so tired of being locked-out of the other 3 doors of this car that I'm not adverse to using a sledgehammer. (Oh. Um... did I mention it's Savannah's car?)

There. All better. No more nastyness. I got it off my chest. You can go back to your regularly-scheduled program now.

Roark <--- Sueing toyota for cost of his pending Prozac script.

Esther · « **Reply #1 on:** January 05, 2009, 04:27:35 PM »

Get ahold of yourself man!! There's gotta be better stuff to steam about. Like things you have some control over.

Jerry · « **Reply #2 on:** January 05, 2009, 04:51:12 PM »

I have a Prius the car knows me and i need not take my key out of my pocket.
Locking the doors is a safety feature. Next time you are in Cali ill show you some not so safe places. Ill take you to "The Hat" too.

Your dealer may be able to disable that feature.

ponderer · « **Reply #3 on:** January 05, 2009, 05:50:10 PM »

I have a Pontiac GP tthat locks the doors in gear. But. It unlocks them when the ignition is turned off. The newer ones unlock when it is in park! A great thing to my mind. When you let people out etc!

ladybug · « **Reply #4 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:11:41 PM »

i have a 2007 toyota camry xle and i love the locking feature when you put it in gear, but i am confused. once i park my car, i get out. i don't have to unlock anything. am i missing something in your post? at first read it sounds like you can't get the door open unless you physically unlock the doors yourself, right? like i said all i have to do is open the door and get out. i love, love my camry. it has the bluetooth in the sterling wheel and i love using that feature too. i feel like a princess when i am driving it. it is my first new car in 14 years.
ladybug

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #5 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:16:51 PM »

Roark, the best cure for that is to buy a Dodge truck. Toys are for girls.

Quote from: Jerry on January 05, 2009, 04:51:12 PM

I have a Prius the car knows me and i need not take my key out of my pocket.
Locking the doors is a safety feature. Next time you are in Cali ill show you some not so safe places. Ill take you to "The Hat" too.

Your dealer may be able to disable that feature.

Jerry, is your Prius powder blue?

Have you ever seen Jeff Dunham? If not, you need to hear his spot about his Prius.

I have a '89 Dodge Dakota.

karen J · « **Reply #6 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:23:26 PM »

I love Jeff Dunham.

I'm with Jerry on this one. Talk to the dealer and see what they can do. Maybe the doors are supposed to unlock, but a part/sensor/whatever has gone bad on yours.

Jerry · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:36:31 PM »

Our Priuses are both silver. Who Is Jeff Dunham?
If you are suggesting it's a feminine car, I am at 52 mpg as we speak. Laughing all the way to the bank

Sunbeam56 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:42:25 PM »

The car is smarter than Roark is.
If you take the KEY out of the car, it may lock behind you, but you can always open it.
The problem is he leaves the key in the ignition.

What I really hate about cars is the slosh. If you have a driver who is proud of the braking capabilities of his car, and waits until the last minute to turn, everything sloshes.
Any fluid comes out of a cup.
All files slide across the back seat.
Groceries end up on the floor, bread is always smushed.

Of course, that may be part of the DRIVER direction too!

Joyce · « **Reply #9 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:53:51 PM »

I think Roark will feel better if he deactivates the child safety feature.
(Don't worry, this won't affect your inner child, Roark

)
Most cars have a little button or switch to turn off the child safety system.
It's a little switch or button that says Child Safety System or something like that.

My old car had it (the PT Cruiser) and my new Jeep has it too.

Anyway, ALL cars do this as a safety feature, besides,
'most people' don't like to open doors while the car is moving,
or have the doors accidentally open while driving.
So that is why they automatically lock.

Well, 'most people'...not Roark apparently.

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #10 on:** January 05, 2009, 07:44:31 PM »

Jerry, Jeff Dunham is a comedian/ventriloquist. You can check out some of his clips at www.jeffdunham.com

Julles · « **Reply #11 on:** January 06, 2009, 07:00:31 AM »

Roark, I know what you mean. It's like someone ELSE has decided what is best for YOU, and gone and installed features you neither asked for nor wanted. Things like that drive me nuts, too.

Jerry · « **Reply #12 on:** January 06, 2009, 08:56:09 AM »

Wow! Jeff Dunham is superb. I made it a favorite place. What a talent!

mascot · « **Reply #13 on:** January 06, 2009, 11:25:05 AM »

safety feature. Scenario:

A woman arrives home and turns off her car, then gathers her belongings and notices that there is a man approaching her. The door is locked and she has time to react. Unlocked doors means that she is more vulnerable.

Another thing that is missing on a lot of cars that people sometimes don't realize is the lack of a door lock cylinder on the passenger side. That door unlocks via remote, and only when the remote is triggered twice as the first press of a button unlocks only the driver's door.

There's pros and cons for just about every safety feature built into a car these days, and the mfr weighs out where there's more risk and the decision is made. but sometimes they just do it to piss you off!

karen J · « **Reply #14 on:** January 06, 2009, 06:39:10 PM »

Quote from: Julles on January 06, 2009, 07:00:31 AM

Roark, I know what you mean. It's like someone ELSE has decided what is best for YOU, and gone and installed features you neither asked for nor wanted. Things like that drive me nuts, too.

Julles, Do I detect a streak of Libertarianism in your statement?

Jerry & Pondman, I got an Achmed the Dead Terrorist doll for Christmas.

We all love it.

Sorry-off topic- never mind!

Mikey · « **Reply #15 on:** January 06, 2009, 10:38:28 PM »

A friend is a service manager for a Toyota dealer. I'll ask him about diabling that feature....

Roark · « **Reply #16 on:** January 07, 2009, 02:16:24 PM »

'Too: If I get home, and someone is walking towards me with ill-intent, all I have to do is stand-up and bristle.

Nuts to the locks.

At that point they're just in the way. FWIW, I'm built like a troll, have a mean-streak a mile wide, and rather thrive on a little "diplomatic" confrontation.

Just the way I'm wired, I guess.

Savannah, in the same situation, I just don't much worry about. The other day I watched her stare-down a 6'5" defense lawyer... who then subsequently screamed "assault! assault!" like a girl when she tossed a handful of napkins at him.

(Gotta love some of the antics that go-on in chambers. LMAO!!!)

Seriously however, I'd be happy if ALL of the doors simply unlocked when the drivers door was opened. The assumption here is that if the driver is getting-out, he might actually want to get into the other doors (for stuff like his computer, jacket, trial briefs, or the shoulder-mounted cruise missile. heheheh).

Joyce: Rumor has it you're coming to SR's pond pull... so I'll just quietly point-out that you've got to sleep *sometime*.

<<wicked giggle!>> And don't count on hubby to protect you. I've got five bucks that says I'll have completely and totally co-opted to my planned shenanigans and he'll actually be HELPING me.

Roark

Mikey · « **Reply #17 on:** January 07, 2009, 07:46:06 PM »

I sent an e-mail to my friend at Toyota asking, "Can the feature that automatically locks the doors of the Camry when it is put into gear be turned off?

My service manager friend's response was, "Camry?? Which one? What year? Does it have an aftermarket alarm installed?"

Pa Nancy · « **Reply #18 on:** January 09, 2009, 04:02:26 PM »

We have a 2007 Dodge Nitro. Love it! It's doors lock when the vehicle reaches I think it's 10 or 15 mph. Then when it is turned off all the doors open.

Bartman · « **Reply #19 on:** January 11, 2009, 10:50:45 PM »

Dig out the owners manual and it probably tells you how to disable the auto-lock yourself if it can be disabled at all. Usually just a combination of buttons held dwn fora couple seconds does it.

Bart

Viv · « **Reply #20 on:** January 13, 2009, 02:27:41 AM »

Roark, I have a Camry station wagon and have the same problem. It is REALLY annoying!