Push button start can be turned off while driving!,,

[barney6]

I did not hold the button, one push turned it off. The car WILL NOT restart in neutral. Husbands f350 also allow you to turn key and turn off while driving but you CAN restart in neutral. Difference is you would have to make a conscious effort to turn the key. Pushing a button can be easily done with out deciding to do it because there are only two buttons on the whole dash area, one to power the car on and off and the radio power on and off. Yes those buttons are far apart but I am proof that it if you are distracted it can accidentally happen. Should this have happened on the freeway you would have to come to a complete stop, put the car in park, put the brakes on and push to start.YOU CAN NOT RESTART IN NEUTRAL.

 

[1995E]

Hmm... I'd really slap Ford a class action lawsuit if they allowed you to just turn the car off with one damn push of the button while you are driving. I'd request they reprogram that button (they can definitely do it) to have you hold down the button for a few seconds before the car turns off while you are not in park.

Also, I'm surprised. I am sure you can turn the car on in neutral as I have done so with my Fusion millions of times. Even if it has push button start (My Fusion has push button start). Although, both of them could be different.

Maybe we can get a Ford representative to confirm how the push button works in turning off the car while you are still moving.

 

[HughCares]

Pushing a button can be easily done with out deciding to do it because there are only two buttons on the whole dash area, one to power the car on and off and the radio power on and off. Yes those buttons are far apart but I am proof that it if you are distracted it can accidentally happen. QUOTE]

Seriously??? How distracted were you? Put down your phone and pay more attention to driving safely....This entire thread is a joke.....

 

[dentalpain]

Seriously??? How distracted were you? Put down your phone and pay more attention to driving safely....This entire thread is a joke.....

Seconded. I'm pretty sure I will never "accidently" press on/off. And guess what, if I do....its my own fault!


I was a passanger riding through Tampa this weekend. I looked at many other drivers, and the number of people staring at the phones is crazy. Talking on the phone is one thing but checking out facebook while doing 75 mph is ticket worthy.

 

[barney6]

I was not using my phone. I admitted first thing that I was distracted by noise! It will NOT restart in neutral as me and my husband tried several times. With the old fashioned cars with keys you can restart in neutral.

Point is I never knew that you could turn the key and turn a car off because that would have require a definite conscious effort and why would I have ever CHOSEN to do that? The push button does not require a conscious effort if you are distracted enough. Car manufacturers should plan things knowing that people are going to be distracted.

Clearly I am not a complete idiot. I am educated enough to be earning enough to be paying for 3 different $50K cars.

If none of you find this a big deal then fine. I find it a huge safety issue, my whole extended family finds it a huge safety issue and when I posted it on facebook I had tons of people from around the world who thought it was a huge safety issue.

Just thought I would let you all know.

 

[OKCXLT]

I was not using my phone. I admitted first thing that I was distracted by noise! It will NOT restart in neutral as me and my husband tried several times. With the old fashioned cars with keys you can restart in neutral.

Point is I never knew that you could turn the key and turn a car off because that would have require a definite conscious effort and why would I have ever CHOSEN to do that? The push button does not require a conscious effort if you are distracted enough. Car manufacturers should plan things knowing that people are going to be distracted.

Clearly I am not a complete idiot. I am educated enough to be earning enough to be paying for 3 different $50K cars.

If none of you find this a big deal then fine. I find it a huge safety issue, my whole extended family finds it a huge safety issue and when I posted it on facebook I had tons of people from around the world who thought it was a huge safety issue.

Just thought I would let you all know.

I COMPLETELY agree with you...don't fret, one thing I've learned is that the second some of the internet Ninjas see an opening they like to pile on as "Holier than thou" and tell people how "dumb" they are.

Obviously, anyone can get distracted (I have a 4th child on the way so I know) enough to quickly push a dash button by accident.

To me, there is NO WAY a moving vehicle should respond to that by shutting down in motion.

Seems like a huge issue to me as well!

 

[adamjeeps]

If the family driving the Lexus was driving your Explorer, they would still be alive.

 

[peterk9]

I did not hold the button, one push turned it off. The car WILL NOT restart in neutral. Husbands f350 also allow you to turn key and turn off while driving but you CAN restart in neutral. Difference is you would have to make a conscious effort to turn the key. Pushing a button can be easily done with out deciding to do it because there are only two buttons on the whole dash area, one to power the car on and off and the radio power on and off. Yes those buttons are far apart but I am proof that it if you are distracted it can accidentally happen. Should this have happened on the freeway you would have to come to a complete stop, put the car in park, put the brakes on and push to start.YOU CAN NOT RESTART IN NEUTRAL.

If the Explorer ignition setup is like the Lincoln MKT, which I'm guessing it is, you can most certainly restart the engine while driving. All you have to do is put the shifter in Neutral, press lightly on the brake and hit the Start/Stop button and the engine will start. Put it back in Drive and away you go. I tested the scenario twice this morning. I also found out that in order to switch the engine off while driving, you have to hold the Start/Stop button a little longer than normal. Just hitting quickly won't turn the engine off.
You can also Start up in Neutral when parked. I've done that on both the Explorer and MKT.

Peter

 

[amd2800barton]

I believe that this is a REQUIRED saftey feature, mandated by the NHTSA - the idea being that at any time in an emergency you may need to be able to kill the engine. It was one reason the Toyota recall was a bunch of BS. Those silly Prius drivers never even tried to shift their cars to neutral, or to shut the engine off. They could have also stood on the brakes - it would have taken them longer to stop, but I don't think there's a car engine out there stronger than the brakes on said car.

In a slightly more plausible scenario - if suddenly I get a low oil pressure alarm, and the engine temperature spikes - the first thing I'm going to do is kill the engine, and then coast to a stop on the side of the road. If you get in a car accident and the shift lever is jammed in "D". You want emergency personnel to be able to shut off the car quickly and easily if say: firemen are trying to cut you out of the car, but the fuel pump is still running and creating a big pool of gas under the car.

 

[BobbyMarks]

BobbyMarks, yes, you can go from Park to Drive. There is nothing to prevent you driving with the liftgate open. In fact I did it once unintentionally.
I dropped my dogs off at the vet and came out, pushed the 'Close' button on the liftgate and got in and started the Ex. I started driving down the street when I noticed the gate was wide open. When it began to close initially, it reversed before it was fully closed when I started the vehicle

Peter

Thanks Peter, my experience as well. Unintentionally I drove off with the liftgate open but there was the left screen warning (RED). Do not remember if there was a chime.

IMHO, I do not think there is nothing to prevent shutting the engine off while driving regardless of IKTs or IAs. OM does not says anything about it.

BM

 

[cw21726]

Lol

 

[1995E]

If the Explorer ignition setup is like the Lincoln MKT, which I'm guessing it is, you can most certainly can restart the engine while driving. All you have to do is put the shifter in Neutral, press lightly on the brake and hit the Start/Stop button and the engine will start. Put it back in Drive and away you go. I tested the scenario twice this morning. I also found out that in order to switch the engine off while driving, you have to hold the Start/Stop button a little longer than normal. Just hitting quickly won't turn the engine off.
You can also Start up in Neutral when parked. I've done that on both the Explorer and MKT.

Peter

Your description sounds like a dead on description to me. It is the same as the way my Fusion Titanium functions. You have to hold the button to turn off the car when you are moving.

You must move into neutral WHILE braking as peter said to start up the car. I think you might have left some details out. If your car does turn off with one push then go to the dealer and have them confirm that. Otherwise, I think you just made a mistake and held the push button thinking it was the audio button.

 

[jevchance]

I was not using my phone. I admitted first thing that I was distracted by noise! It will NOT restart in neutral as me and my husband tried several times. With the old fashioned cars with keys you can restart in neutral.

Point is I never knew that you could turn the key and turn a car off because that would have require a definite conscious effort and why would I have ever CHOSEN to do that? The push button does not require a conscious effort if you are distracted enough. Car manufacturers should plan things knowing that people are going to be distracted.

Clearly I am not a complete idiot. I am educated enough to be earning enough to be paying for 3 different $50K cars.

If none of you find this a big deal then fine. I find it a huge safety issue, my whole extended family finds it a huge safety issue and when I posted it on facebook I had tons of people from around the world who thought it was a huge safety issue.

Just thought I would let you all know.

You can have an opinion one way or the other on whether you think this is a safety issue. The reality is, there are situations where you would want to shut the engine down while moving. For example, if you have an engine fire, you need to shut down the engine immediately to prevent fuel from being pumped into the fire. Or, if you lose oil pressure, you'd want to shut the engine down immediately to prevent catastrophic engine damage.

You made a terrible decision to listen to headphones while driving. Distractions happen, but you created this one. Please be more cautious driving, especially when kids are in the car.

 

[kevino]

I agree, button should be required to be held or pressed more than once.

I own a 2013 Toyota Highlander with push start, and it requires you hold the button in for 3 seconds before it will turn off while moving. I agree it should allow the capability to turn off the vehicle when the need arises, but the time delay should be in place like the Lincoln has as well. Not a major deal, but it should be changed to prevent accidents.

 

[sc302]

To add to Jev's post, another issue would be if your engine was racing due to a stuck pedal or worse a stuck throttle. You will want to kill the engine before you get into an accident or kill someone. Nothing needs to be changed. People need to know how to use their cars, the ignition is not in the same place as the radio knob you should know where they are blind folded. The reach is not the same between the two, much like the gas pedal is not in the same location as the brake pedal...you do not need to see the gas and brake to know where they are, if you do you really shouldn't be driving a motor vehicle.

There are many situations that turning off your vehicle would be a good idea vs leaving your car on would be a bad idea. It is more of a safety concern to have the ability to shut off the engine than to remove the ablility or lengthen the time to turn off the vehicle. Seconds could mean an accident or life and death. Learning to control your vehicle at a power off state should be required and practiced often as well as what to do to get it back to a powered on state (shifting to neutral and pushing the ignition button, or pushing the clutch in and pushing the ignition button). Brakes and steering work even though they are unpowered, you must use a bit of force to be able to use them. You must be in control of your vehicle at all times.

 

[ls973800]

Clearly I am not a complete idiot. I am educated enough to be earning enough to be paying for 3 different $50K cars.

Many states do not allow the driver to wear headphones for safety reasons, such as not being able to hear emergency vehicles using their sirens, or because of being distracted by hearing only the headphone output.

The fact that you can afford 3 cars of $50K each has nothing to do with the potential danger you put your child or children in by wearing headphones.

That alone trumps any safety concern about the engine being able to be shut off while driving. Others have posted good reasons why the switch is allowed to shut off the engine. I can't think of one good reason why a driver can safely wear headphones while driving.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Clearly I am not a complete idiot. I am educated enough to be earning enough to be paying for 3 different $50K cars.

Many states do not allow the driver to wear headphones for safety reasons, such as not being able to hear emergency vehicles using their sirens, or because of being distracted by hearing only the headphone output.

The fact that you can afford 3 cars of $50K each has nothing to do with the potential danger you put your child or children in by wearing headphones.

That alone trumps any safety concern about the engine being able to be shut off while driving. Others have posted good reasons why the switch is allowed to shut off the engine. I can't think of one good reason why a driver can safely wear headphones while driving.

Thank you for posting that.. I was just about to post the headphone comment. As you said, in most states it is ILLEGAL to use them while driving. In my state, you can have one in but not both ears while operating a motor vehicle.

----------------------------------------

To the OP - That fact that you admit you were DISTRACTED shows it is an issue with you and operating your vehicle with your kids in it, not the vehicle itself. You may not like what we have to say but that's the chance you take when posting publicly.

I really do not call people names but I believe that driving with headphones on is a completely idiotic decision on ones part... and that goes for anyone who does it.

With 68,000 miles on my Ex, I have never come close to pushing the start/stop button while driving. Maybe that is because I make sure I'm not "Distracted". And yes, I have a wife, a 4yr old and a 10 month old so I know what can happen in vehicles. Regardless, I still focus on driving and operating the vehicle. If something is going on that needs my attention, I pull over.

As Peter said, you should be able to restart as long as your foot is on the brake. The vehicle needs to have the rear brake lights lit up which doesn't take much (barely touching them) for it to start. I'll double check mine tomorrow and post my results.

 

[RedDen]

Peter,

What if the liftgate is open while the vehicle is in P, lets say you forgot about the liftgate is open, can you switch from P to D?

BM

You can start driving with liftgate open, but what is disappointing is that if car starts moving while liftgate is closing, then it stops closing and come to full open instead and that is not good!!!

 

[deewan]

I was not using my phone. I admitted first thing that I was distracted by noise! It will NOT restart in neutral as me and my husband tried several times. With the old fashioned cars with keys you can restart in neutral.

Point is I never knew that you could turn the key and turn a car off because that would have require a definite conscious effort and why would I have ever CHOSEN to do that? The push button does not require a conscious effort if you are distracted enough. Car manufacturers should plan things knowing that people are going to be distracted.

Clearly I am not a complete idiot. I am educated enough to be earning enough to be paying for 3 different $50K cars.

If none of you find this a big deal then fine. I find it a huge safety issue, my whole extended family finds it a huge safety issue and when I posted it on facebook I had tons of people from around the world who thought it was a huge safety issue.

Just thought I would let you all know.

While I agree a conscious effort would need to be made to turn the key into the off position, but this means you are unconsciously pushing random buttons or areas on your dashboard while driving??? Don't randomly push areas on the dashboard and I promise you that you will never turn your Explorer off without a conscious effort.

I can think of reasons why the Explorer should be able to be turned off while in drive or moving. Anyone remember the Toyota Prius scam... the accelerator got stuck... oh no... I can't stop!!! Push the button and your cars engine turns off while keeping power for steering, braking, etc..

BTW, just because you posted something on Facebook and had tons of people from around the world agree with you doesn't mean anything. In fact in my mind it may even hurt your case. Ever see this article? Had tons of worldwide support.....
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/steven-spielberg-denounced-killing-dinosaur-facebook-users-article-1.1863400

 

[peterk9]

You can start driving with liftgate open, but what is disappointing is that if car starts moving while liftgate is closing, then it stops closing and come to full open instead and that is not good!!!

I'm guessing it reverses because it senses some kind of extra movement which it may interpret as blockage, so it is programed to reverse. Just a theory.

Peter