Disable back up reverse beeping?

[zvez]

Now i'm curious... can you back up faster than 30mph in the mach E and see if the beeping stops?

LOL nhtsa requirement is actually 18.6 mph.

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[SnBGC]

No the beep is not the issue, according to the nhtsa guidelines, an ev has to make 43 decibels (I think that's the number) up to a speed of 18.6 mph. So you could have any sound that meets that requirement, hell it could be continuous farts for that matter

I thought so.

The sounds made by the Mach-E don't really bother me unless I have my windows rolled down (which is almost never here in Arizona...). I barely hear that thing from inside the car.

My Jeep is a totally different story. The sound it makes is borderline obnoxious and annoying. Even worse when the top of opened and windows down (I don't ever plan on removing the doors). I can live with it on surface streets but when off road it is really bothersome. I like to hear nature when I am out in the wilderness so the quiet sound of the EV mode in the Wrangler is very satisfying. For that reason, I pulled the fuse and turned that sound off. If I wanted to, I could easily wire in a relay and control the sound on/off via one of the 4 upfitter switches provided in the cabin. That would be really easy to accomplish. But so far I am liking it the way it is. Nice and quiet.

 

[JamieGeek]

I think you are right.
The 2017 and 2018 Focus Electric cars had the speaker but the sound was not activated for N.A. models. The report I saw listed zero pedestrian injuries related to that model so not having the sound didn't suddenly make the Focus Electric a bigger threat than a typical vehicle.

I don't think the beeping is a requirement. It just needs to make some sound so normal audible hum should meet that requirement perhaps? Technically speaking, the A/C compressor and fans satisfy the requirement but those don't run every time the car is started so the speakers are the fail-safe.

Owners are allowed to modify their vehicles so I presume an argument could be made that allows the speaker to be disabled as long as there is some other sound that meets the decibel level. Even playing the radio might satisfy the requirement?

I am more worried about owners who modify their vehicles with lift or lowering kits, aftermarket wheels, wheel spacers, blacked out headlights and tail lights etc. That stuff is MUCH more dangerous then disabling a back up beeper IMO.

I tried to back into an parking space today and a tree branch was dangling over the space. I was going to back up anyway and push the branch aside but the car wouldn't let me. It applied the brakes and I couldn't park there even if I wanted to (not without getting out and moving the branch).

Our Wrangler 4xe was easy. Just pull a fuse and it disables the speakers. No codes. No drama.

I was trying to park in this space. When I drove away the red car took it.

The Bolt had/has (not sure if its there in newer models) a fuse you could pull to disable the pedestrian alert as well.

My 2013 Focus Electric didn't even have any sort of circuitry to make a noise and it was dead quiet at slow speeds.

We even were able to sneak up on a group of teenagers walking down the middle of a residential street with it once. I crept along about 1/2 a car length behind them for almost a block before one in the back turned around and nearly jumped out of their shoes.

 

[Ravensfan1996]

I didnt like it at first, but I like the beep now. especially in a parking lot, it certainly gets pedestrians attention and they notice and get out of the way.

 

[nitinkumar00]

Agree with you, however, I am not sure how many people here have hit a pedestrian but I would say it is a rare occurrence. I have been driving over 50 years and close to one million miles and haven't hit anyone yet. Besides if the Mach-E did hit a pedestrian or anything for that matter, the front or rear crash avoidance system would have failed.

the issue is EVs are silent. It’s not because you haven’t hit anyone. It’s to warn others since car makes no noise as regular car and is nearly silent.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Wow. I never knew there was ANOTHER thread about this.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Wow. I never knew there was ANOTHER thread about this.

You and me both. I was expecting a bunch of comments about learn to search .

A shame too. I had memes all ready to go!

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

The Bolt had/has (not sure if its there in newer models) a fuse you could pull to disable the pedestrian alert as well.

I am not a lawyer but I did stay at a Holiday In Express. There are some if statements here... If you pull the fuse and God forbid someone gets hit, and the lawyers can figure out (car impounded, kids/spouse/friend driving, etc.) that the fuse was pulled, say goodbye to your cars, your house, and future earnings. To me, not worth the risk. The world and the morgues are full of people who say it will never happen to me

 

[JamieGeek]

I am not a lawyer but I did stay at a Holiday In Express. There are some if statements here... If you pull the fuse and God forbid someone gets hit, and the lawyers can figure out (car impounded, kids/spouse/friend driving, etc.) that the fuse was pulled, say goodbye to your cars, your house, and future earnings. To me, not worth the risk. The world and the morgues are full of people who say it will never happen to me

Um sure... Drove the Bolt for years w/o the fuse in place. Prior to that my Focus Electric didn't even have a noisemaker as it was built before the requirements were in place.

Never hit anyone with any of my plugins, no matter how loud or quiet they are/were.

Haven't done anything to the Mach-E to quiet it down and likely won't as it is probably more trouble than its worth (the noises it makes doesn't really bother me enough to make the effort--it is likely that I'm lazier now than I was with the Bolt LOL).

These arguments are repeated over and over again in just about every EV forum with the same results: Some people expressing an opinion similar to yours and others who are a bit more relaxed about it (such as myself). The end result is thousands of pages of comments with neither side budging.

Want to have some real fun: Get on an RV forum and say "I leave my propane fridge running when I get gas"...oooh boy howdy!

 

[macchiaz-o]

My mom asked me about the sounds yesterday. She had recently listened to a news-style show where they were talking about EV adoption.

Interestingly, her take was that the noises shouldn't be there -- it's noise pollution. I say "interesting" because she is blind.

I pointed out that the noise is to help pedestrians be alerted that a nearby vehicle may be moving or about to move. This didn't phase her... Once I pointed out that the noise turns off above ~18 mph, and that the brumble-fake-engine sound is only inside the cabin (and can be turned off), then she wasn't worried about it anymore. ?

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

My mom asked me about the sounds yesterday. She had recently listened to a news-style show where they were talking about EV adoption.

Interestingly, her take was that the noises shouldn't be there -- it's noise pollution. I say "interesting" because she is blind.

I pointed out that the noise is to help pedestrians be alerted that a nearby vehicle may be moving or about to move. This didn't phase her... Once I pointed out that the noise turns off above ~18 mph, and that the brumble-fake-engine sound is only inside the cabin (and can be turned off), then she wasn't worried about it anymore. ?

Your Mom sounds pretty chill. I’m going to go with the opinion of the blind person over the opinion of the government.

 

[Matt Bagne]

Yeah...this is all moderately to highly illegal (pretty sure disconnecting/disabling/muffling the pedestrian alert system is a felony, but I'm not a lawyer). It only makes noise when you're backing up (for safety) and under a certain speed (IIRC it's around 30mph?...for pedestrians...so they know you exist). If you're THAT worried about your car making ANY noise at all...maybe get a really old single speed bicycle (so it won't make that infernal clicking when you're not pedaling)

That won't work . . . they passed a law that requires all single speed bicycles to have a clothespin and playing card clipped to the front or back forks, allowing the card to touch the wheel spokes making a cool "motor-like" sound, to warn pedestrians. Code of Bicycle Safety Regulations, SPR 503.12 (2014, Revised).

 

[mburtsvt]

My grand daughter thinks the back up sound is a space ship landing near by.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Interestingly, her take was that the noises shouldn't be there -- it's noise pollution. I say "interesting" because she is blind.

Noise pollution = pickups and motorcycles without mufflers, dump trucks that Jake brake. Drives me nuts around here at all hours of the night. Mach-E pedestrian warning is a whisper compared to the above. Can't wait for electric dump trucks but I'll probably be dead before that happens.

 

[DWIL]

It is very easy to get to the pedestrian/backup speaker. #13
You can block the speaker grill with something like cardboard. #72
You can also disconnect the speaker but you have to put a 4.7 ohm 3-5 watt resistor across the speaker wires otherwise you will get a warning in the driver display that the pedestrian warning system is malfunctioning. https://www.amazon.com/RESISTOR-CER...ywords=4.7+ohm+resistor&qid=1630592045&sr=8-9

I know his is an older thread, but dude, you're a beast!

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