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Shifts to Park when Butt Lifted from Seat?
- Thread starter mknox
- Start date
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- Driving Dynamics Model S
Better visibility, especially for non-tall people (i.e. short and medium sized folk).
My DS told me that the current software has been modified to reduce this "shifts to park" issue. The sensitivity was reduced -- some very light drivers were experiencing this problem too often. It's tough trying to use weight as a proxy for "there's a driver in the seat"!
I hate to bring it up but there was something in the back of my mind when I purchased the car. Before I drove with my family (4 boys and wife) in the car, I wanted to drive it myself for a while to make sure it was safe. I know Tesla tested the car but something may go wrong that can cause you your life - such as this issue at highway speeds. I do not mind being an early adopter even if it meant losing my investment (although I would not be happy) but losing your life is a whole other story. Has anyone else ever thought about this? (don't mean to change the thread topic)
Francis Lau
P-1456
I tested this "lift your weight" issue this evening. While reversing the car, I lifted my weight completely off the seat and the car did not engage the brakes or do anything. I have the latest software version. I wonder if they fixed the issue.
I'm not sure if you meant 4.0 or if you've got 4.1 or somesuch but...
byt
Member
byt
Member
mnx
2018 M3P
Francis Lau
P-1456
znino
Member
I can confirm this happens if you are in reverse, with seat belt off and lift yourself a bit off the seat to reverse, the car shifts into N and then immediately into P. Seems to happen more often if there is a little bit of a sudden forward motion during the reversing (such as the tires hitting a small bump in the road or garage sill and you have no real rear momentum). I am on Version 4.2 so if they need to tweak it, this has still not been done in the latest version. Maybe it is just a simple security measure with the car thinking someone has jumped out of the car but a lot of people lift their weight to see being them when reversing.
It had been previously confirmed that if you leave the seatbelt on, then it will not shift to park in this situation.
GregH
Member
Just a quick note of thanks to all of you... I picked up my P85+ a couple of weeks and thought it was broken! I was only slightly freaked out, sincere thanks to all of you for investigating & reporting on this, uh, feature.
Agreed. If a car automatically shifts to park or engages the parking brake at speeds above a parking speed, it would be a very dangerous future.
Say you are driving at moderate or high speeds on a road that is hilly and the car enters zero G and your body is momentarily sprung off of the seat in the 0G environment. If there isn't something to prevent the car from automatically going into park or applying the parking brake above parking speed, the car could enter park or engage the parking brake at moderate to high speed likely resulting in a wreck.
Under some circumstances so-called safety features can become safety hazards.
Interesting behaviour. In the UK the tough legislation on seat belts being compulsory has explicit provision to allow removal of seat belt for reversing when car geometry often means the driver needs to crane around and move to see properly. A sudden Park would be disconcerting and possibly dangerous.
According to my Tesla valet, if the seatbelt is engaged it doesn't matter if you lift your butt off the seat. He gamed the system by locking the passenger seatbelt into the driver's seatbelt buckle. It did work; that's how he loaded the car into the trailer.
I've never had it happen accidentally, but I verified this in my driveway today. If I lift my butt up with the seatbelt off, it goes into Park. With the seatbelt buckled, it doesn't.
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