Lock/Unlock when you push in Drive/Park

No, it isn't supposed to. There's a company called Coastal Tech, which sells an auto lock, but it only locks when you get to 15 mph and only once during power-up (i.e. if you stop to drop someone off, and don't power off, the door won't relock). It does not unlock. It may work for the 2006, but some people have had it lock right at power-up (plus if they're out of stock you may have to wait months).

FWIW, on the 2000-2003 models the mod will lock when the driver's seatbelt is locked and unlocks when the driver's seatbelt is unlocked.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AAWADKE @ May 6 2006, 05:58 PM) [snapback]250910[/snapback]</div>

I'm not sure where you get the idea of "most of cars also have this feature". My parents and I have never owned a car w/this feature. The only cars I've ever seen w/this feature standard or a similar one (doors lock automatically after you start moving above a certain speed) are some GM cars (not all). Some people hate it and the auto unlock could be a safety issue for some.

The list of cars that we had w/power locks and didn't have this feature were 2002 Nissan Maxima, 2004 Nissan 350Z, 2006 Toyota Prius, 1991 Toyota Camry, 1996 Toyota Camry, 2002 Toyota RAV4, and 1993 Dodge Caravan.

 

Whether most cars have it or not, they should. It is a very basic safety / security feature and I am surprised aat how many models don't have this. I constantly have to harp on my wife to lock the doors when she pulls out as she never does. Dumb that Toyota does not include it, IMO. Our now 10 year old ford had it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AAWADKE @ May 7 2006, 09:32 AM) [snapback]251047[/snapback]</div>

Yeah.. my gf's corolla has the auto-lock feature. While our high tech, the most popular hybrid in the US doesn't have this feature.

 

My previous car (2000 Toyota Celica) had auto lock/unlock and DRL too.


Dennis

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cwerdna @ May 7 2006, 03:39 AM) [snapback]251029[/snapback]</div>

The 1998 Grand Caravan automatically locks the doors as soon as the speed reaches 15 MPH.

 

My wife's 2000 Ford Windstar has that. It auto locks when she shifts into gear, although it doesn't unlock when parked.

 

many cars which have this feature also have the "feature" of automatically *un*locking when you grab the inside handle to open the door.

this is not a safety feature! if the point of locking the doors is to make it harder for someone to open the door by mistake while the vehicle is moving, then why unlock when the handle is grabbed?

i do not view this as an omission on toyota's part. i view it as people getting attached to a dumb marketing trick, one of many that GM tried in the 90's to make their cars seem cool and forward-thinking, instead of boxy and boring as they truly were.

(do a little homework on DRL, and look at who promoted the study that says they're a good idea... you guessed it... GM!)

 

My 2002 GTI had this feature (auto lock at 8 mph) and I miss it in the Prius. I believe all VWs have this, even those less expensive than the Prius. They also have side and curtain air bags, 16 inch wheels, rear disk brakes... <_<

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ May 7 2006, 10:41 AM) [snapback]251103[/snapback]</div>

The 93 Dodge Caravan I mentioned had the above "feature". I'm neutral one whether it's a good/bad idea.

Back to auto locking and unlocking, I've had aftermarket Clifford alarms (Intelliguard 6000 and 7000) which had user selectable features via "menus" that let you individually enable/disable auto locking when you turn on the ignition and auto unlock when you turn it off. It was a feature of the alarm, not the car itself. I just confirmed it by looking in the manuals for those alarms.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ May 7 2006, 12:41 PM) [snapback]251103[/snapback]</div>

It is a safety feature from the point of view of someone opening the doors from the outside. Not the inside.
My wife's car has this, and I for one am glad.

 

NHTSA finds the locks to be an important safety feature, implying that an autolocking door has some safety benefit assuming the driver might forget to lock it:
"A first line of defense against rollover fatalities is to prevent a car from rolling over. The next line of defense is to keep the occupant inside the car. As noted above. many of the ejections occur in crashes of low severity. The design of doors and their locks, latches and hinges is crucial here; so is the retention and integrity of windows." (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/807489.html).

The flip side is that some people are concerned about being trapped in a car after an accident. However, this would assume that you are unable to unlock the door. It is possible, but for me, the security and safety aspects of having the doors locked outweigh the chance that I won't be able to unlock the door.

 

I have Coastal's Auto-Lock and the only real problem (emergency-wise) is when I'm taking my wife and parents somewhere. The front doors unlock by pulling the door handle, but not the rear. This means that anyone in the back either have to push the mechanical button on their door first or I have to remember to press the power lock/unlock button on my door.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt @ May 7 2006, 12:17 PM) [snapback]251125[/snapback]</div>

my '98 jetta did not have this. i wonder when they added it... (of course, the '95 jetta didn't even have a glove compartment...)

my prius has side and curtain air bags. also the wheels are exactly the right size for the car.

and we have *regenerative* braking... even better than disks!