Big issue with back doors security.

[rreddy3]

I think we may be losing a little in the translation, so to speak. As I read OP’s messages, the child was trying to enter the car but OP/Dad didn’t notice this, OP Dad started the car, put it in gear, then saw the open door warning. Although OP Dad didn’t mention this, I would not be surprised to learn child gave an “audible warning” of his own. OP Dad stops the car before any significant physical injury occurs.

I think the comments discussing this is how essentially all modern cars work is spot on and nothing is wrong with the car. I think OP Dad is avoiding personal responsibility in trying to make this a Ford problem. (Sounds very American except OP is European ?.)

OP Dad also said “ I was thinking we are in 2025. No need to teach the kids, but have a much more safe car.” “No need to teach the kids.” Maybe OP Dad didn’t actually mean what that means to native English speakers. OP is from Romania. I think it’s safe to say English isn’t his first language. It’s possible things come out in ways he did not intend. Sadly I speak only English, so I am not criticizing OP’s use of a second language (as a European, it might even be his third or forth language), to the contrary I am giving him an exit path.

That said, little kids are unpredictable and need constant instruction and supervision, and even then things can go wrong in the blink of an eye. The good news is the child is ok and OP Dad got a “wake up call” to redouble his vigilance when the kids are clambering about the car. Bad news is it happened in the first place.

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[RoyHobbs]

I was thinking we are in 2025. No need to teach the kids, but have a much more safe car.
It is just a line in the programing.
No run with open doors, frunk, trunk, or charging port.
What is wrong with this?
And if one of those are fake signals, you should have the choice to bypass.
What is the purpose of getting a message, like charging port open, and i need to stop the car, anyway? You should not let me to run the car, in the first place.

A simple line in machine code. A much more safe car.

100% lazy parenting. Why should I teach my kids when someone else could make changes to the software. ?

 

[Mach1E]

I think we may be losing a little in the translation, so to speak. As I read OP’s messages, the child was trying to enter the car but OP/Dad didn’t notice this, OP Dad started the car, put it in gear, then saw the open door warning. Although OP Dad didn’t mention this, I would not be surprised to learn child gave an “audible warning” of his own. OP Dad stops the car before any significant physical injury occurs.

I think the comments discussing this is how essentially all modern cars work is spot on and nothing is wrong with the car. I think OP Dad is avoiding personal responsibility in trying to make this a Ford problem. (Sounds very American except OP is European ?.)

OP Dad also said “ I was thinking we are in 2025. No need to teach the kids, but have a much more safe car.” “No need to teach the kids.” Maybe OP Dad didn’t actually mean what that means to native English speakers. OP is from Romania. I think it’s safe to say English isn’t his first language. It’s possible things come out in ways he did not intend. Sadly I speak only English, so I am not criticizing OP’s use of a second language (as a European, it might even be his third or forth language), to the contrary I am giving him an exit path.

That said, little kids are unpredictable and need constant instruction and supervision, and even then things can go wrong in the blink of an eye. The good news is the child is ok and OP Dad got a “wake up call” to redouble his vigilance when the kids are clambering about the car. Bad news is it happened in the first place.

Again, child locks.

They’ve been on cars since the 1980s.

That said, we aren’t talking about tiny kids here if they can reach and push the button for the rear doors.

Still trying to understand the exact problem the OP is trying to solve.

 

[rreddy3]

Again, child locks.

They’ve been on cars since the 1980s.

That said, we aren’t talking about tiny kids here if they can reach and push the button for the rear doors.

Still trying to understand the exact problem the OP is trying to solve.

AFAIK, child locks disable the door from the inside, not the outside. As near as I can tell, the OP said the child was trying to get in, not out of the car, if that’s the case, it is not a child lock issue.

OP’s issue is he thinks the car’s ability to move should have been defeated when a door was detected as open.

Ultimately it is the vehicle operator’s responsibility to ascertain it is safe to engage a gear and move, irrespective of what safety systems or safeguards a vehicle may or may not have.

It is easy to say OP may have slipped up on this. Whether he did or didn’t, I suspect he feels badly it happened, that’s he’s learned a lesson about being attentive, and he’s thankful that injury or worse didn’t happen.

If it were me, in his situation, I wouldn’t be blaming Ford. I would “own” the mistake, learn from it, be thankful a tragedy didn’t occur, and move on. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be broadcasting it on a forum.

 

[Stef51]

It is not child lock from the inside.
I think I described the situation quite well; I'll try again.
Imagine that you are in position D, alone in the car, and you drive away. At the same time, someone opens the back door, intending to get into the car. It doesn't matter who we are talking about here, whether it's a child, an elderly person, or a drunk. He manages to open the door, and the car drives away, although it shouldn't, similar to the driver's door. That is, it should jump from D to P.
It could be any child, drunk, or older person. I don't think I have enough time to instruct my children and the world on what not to do.
I think I should tell my 4-year-old child about ten times so that he remembers. Those of you who have children know what I'm talking about.
All drivers check the left mirror when they start, not the right one. It's easy to blame the lazy parents, isn't it?

The surprise, however, is that the door open message only appears after a few seconds, when it would already be too late—the same with the charging port.

What use is the message that my door is open 5 seconds after I've left the place? What use is the message that my charging port door is open after 5 seconds I run the car?
From what I've noticed, the frunk and trunk open messages are instant, but they don't lock the car, anyway.

So, essentially, what would be the huge software problem to solve, in order to solve these situations, safety?

Mach-E is an electric car, it would be expected to improve its safety, it's much simpler. A few lines of software...

To be clear, I'm not blaming Ford for anything; I'm just surprised that in 2025, electric cars still haven't adapted something extra to safety compared to classic ones.
I don't see how a gasoline car could change its speed from 1 to N, but an electric one can easily do it.

I wonder if Tesla doesn't already have these systems.

 

[RoyHobbs]

It’s not a software problem, every car I’ve ever been in or driven works this way.

It’s unnecessary, unwanted and unneeded.

Hit the lock button after you get in the car, problem solved.

Also, my door open messages are pretty much instantaneous.

 

[Mach1E]

AFAIK, child locks disable the door from the inside, not the outside. As near as I can tell, the OP said the child was trying to get in, not out of the car, if that’s the case, it is not a child lock issue.

OP’s issue is he thinks the car’s ability to move should have been defeated when a door was detected as open.

Ultimately it is the vehicle operator’s responsibility to ascertain it is safe to engage a gear and move, irrespective of what safety systems or safeguards a vehicle may or may not have.

It is easy to say OP may have slipped up on this. Whether he did or didn’t, I suspect he feels badly it happened, that’s he’s learned a lesson about being attentive, and he’s thankful that injury or worse didn’t happen.

If it were me, in his situation, I wouldn’t be blaming Ford. I would “own” the mistake, learn from it, be thankful a tragedy didn’t occur, and move on. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be broadcasting it on a forum.

You can set your car to only unlock the drivers door vs all doors.

It’s a setting.

 

[Mach1E]

It is not child lock from the inside.
I think I described the situation quite well; I'll try again.
Imagine that you are in position D, alone in the car, and you drive away. At the same time, someone opens the back door, intending to get into the car. It doesn't matter who we are talking about here, whether it's a child, an elderly person, or a drunk. He manages to open the door, and the car drives away, although it shouldn't, similar to the driver's door. That is, it should jump from D to P.
It could be any child, drunk, or older person. I don't think I have enough time to instruct my children and the world on what not to do.
I think I should tell my 4-year-old child about ten times so that he remembers. Those of you who have children know what I'm talking about.
All drivers check the left mirror when they start, not the right one. It's easy to blame the lazy parents, isn't it?

The surprise, however, is that the door open message only appears after a few seconds, when it would already be too late—the same with the charging port.

What use is the message that my door is open 5 seconds after I've left the place? What use is the message that my charging port door is open after 5 seconds I run the car?
From what I've noticed, the frunk and trunk open messages are instant, but they don't lock the car, anyway.

So, essentially, what would be the huge software problem to solve, in order to solve these situations, safety?

Mach-E is an electric car, it would be expected to improve its safety, it's much simpler. A few lines of software...

To be clear, I'm not blaming Ford for anything; I'm just surprised that in 2025, electric cars still haven't adapted something extra to safety compared to classic ones.
I don't see how a gasoline car could change its speed from 1 to N, but an electric one can easily do it.

I wonder if Tesla doesn't already have these systems.

Change your door lock settings so only the drivers door unlocks instead of all doors. This safety feature prevents the situation you described.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/automatic-door-unlock.14037/

 

[Stef51]

Yes, this is what I was asking for, at least for the rear doors.
" There is a setting under door locks that allow you to limit the unlock feature to the drivers door or change it to unlock all of the doors simultaneously. This is an old feature and is considered a safety feature for people who do not want to provide a way for strangers to follow them into the car in the dark. "

Same feature, for the kids.
So, I do not think it is: "unnecessary, unwanted, and unneeded. "

Still, the charging port door should be solved by Ford. The message is coming too late, and you must stop the car after running. Do not tell me that it never happened to you, guys..
It happened even on the highway, when the car was running.

Thank you, guys.

 

[Mach1E]

Yes, this is what I was asking for, at least for the rear doors.
" There is a setting under door locks that allow you to limit the unlock feature to the drivers door or change it to unlock all of the doors simultaneously. This is an old feature and is considered a safety feature for people who do not want to provide a way for strangers to follow them into the car in the dark. "

Same feature, for the kids.
So, I do not think it is: "unnecessary, unwanted, and unneeded. "

Still, the charging port door should be solved by Ford. The message is coming too late, and you must stop the car after running. Do not tell me that it never happened to you, guys..
It happened even on the highway, when the car was running.

Thank you, guys.

Good, sounds like you found a solution that will work. And luckily it doesn’t need any additional features from Ford. ?

 

[corradoborg]

Yes, this is what I was asking for, at least for the rear doors.
" There is a setting under door locks that allow you to limit the unlock feature to the drivers door or change it to unlock all of the doors simultaneously. This is an old feature and is considered a safety feature for people who do not want to provide a way for strangers to follow them into the car in the dark. "

Same feature, for the kids.
So, I do not think it is: "unnecessary, unwanted, and unneeded. "

Still, the charging port door should be solved by Ford. The message is coming too late, and you must stop the car after running. Do not tell me that it never happened to you, guys..
It happened even on the highway, when the car was running.

Thank you, guys.

This is a simple and elegant solution to *part* of your problem, although it’s pretty far from what you were asking for. Your ask was for the car to switch into Park when any door other than the driver’s door is opened. This solution does not do that, but does prevent the other doors from being opened at all.
However, you *still* need to teach your child not be be anywhere near the car when you’re about to move it. Merely preventing the child from opening the door does not keep them safe. They can still attempt to open the door, placing them close enough to the car to be run over if you don’t see them.
Stop saying you shouldn’t have to teach your child. It’s your responsibility to do so, regardless of the car’s safety features.

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