Shifting into Neutral while Driving

[kbecks13]

So i've done this a few times by accident when i'm trying to disengage Autopilot, but basically i will notice i'm either not getting the regen i expect (not slowing down) or the car won't accelerate when i press on the accelerator (and i get an alert "Hey put me in Drive!") because i have accidentally pushed the shift lever too far up and put the car in Neutral instead of Drive.

Seems like it's way too easy to accidently put the car in Neutral, in fact if you push the right stalk only halfway up, it will shift from Drive to Neutral BUT if you give it a half-push back down, it doesn't do anything.

Why does it take a full stroke of the stalk to go from Neutral to Drive but only a half-pull of the stalk to go from Drive to Neutral? Anyone else noticing this?

 

[roblab]

Yeah, I noticed. When I pay attention, it's not a problem.

 

[BrettS]

The gear shift lever has two stops when you push it up and two stops when you push it down. Pushing it up or down to the first stop puts the car in neutral. Pushing it all the way down past the first stop puts it in drive and all the way up past the first stop puts it in revers.

It’s a bit unusual, but this is the way it works in the Model S and Model X as well. You will get used to it after a while.

When I first got my Model S I kept putting the car into neutral whenever it started to rain because the windshield wiper controls on my old car were in the same place as the gear shift lever on the model S. After a few weeks I finally got used to it and stopped doing that.

 

[kbecks13]

That makes sense, but when you're in Drive (and moving!) and have to use that stalk to disengage autopilot - why not make it require pushing to the second stop to get into Neutral instead of the first? IMO it's a bit too easy to go into Neutral while driving but perhaps it's just me.

 

[BlueWRXPride]

If you do put it in neutral by accident, can you put it back in drive while you're still at highway speed without any issues? What if you accidentally put it in reverse at speed? I assume the car will ignore that request...

 

[dragoljub]

It’s happened to me too. I it’s weird to press the accelerator only to feel like your ev has stalled in 2018.

 

[kbecks13]

If you do put it in neutral by accident, can you put it back in drive while you're still at highway speed without any issues?

Yes you can easily put it back in drive by depressing the right stalk to the 2nd stop. What doesn't make sense to me is how it only takes 1 stop to get out of Drive (while on the highway) but it takes two stops to get back into it. Basically it's easier to get out of Drive than it is to go back into it.

 

[BrettS]

Basically it's easier to get out of Drive than it is to go back into it.

I think that’s by design. You don’t want to be able to inadvertently put the car in gear as that could cause an accident. You’re much less likely to cause an accident by inadvertently taking the car out of drive than by putting it in drive.

 

[ELRev]

It's not just you. Met up with a Model 3 owner for a test drive in LA. My first question was "biggest complaint?" and he immediately went to this problem. Said he feels they went too minimalist on the autopilot controls and that no dedicated stalk, and thus this shift-to-neutral problem, is really a safety hazard.

Hopefully they offer a software update with a solution. Congrats on the car.

 

[jsmay311]

I think this behavior may have changed since January.

I received my Model 3 in early August when the software version was originally on 26.X (now it's on 28.5), and in order to shift into Neutral it has always required holding the stalk up for ~2 seconds before it will shift out of Drive.

Based on the earlier posts, it sounds like it used to be instantaneous. (?)

 

[run-the-joules]

In almost 8 months of ownership, I think I have not a single time disengaged AP like that. If I want steering control back I just apply enough pressure to disengage, and if I want full control I gently tap the brake pedal enough for the sensor to pick it up.