Star Trek Actor Killed By Jeep on Recall

[csv8]

''THE Star Trek actor killed by his own car was run over by a model of Jeep that was recalled earlier this year for “rollaway risk,” according to a report.

Anton Yelchin, 27, died in a freak accident on Sunday when his vehicle pinned him between a metal security gate and his brick mailbox.

He was found by a group of friends when they got concerned about him after he didn’t show up for a planned rehearsal, The New York Post reports.

The Los Angeles Police Department has now confirmed that his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee was one of the 248,667 models included in a voluntary recall in April for a defect in the vehicle’s alert system, according to CBS News.

“Drivers thinking that their vehicle’s transmission is in the Park position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out of the vehicle while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wrote in its report."
http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...90b3ec74c01fcd

[Trump]

The ambulance chasers are salivating right now...

[MITCHAY]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The ambulance chasers are salivating right now...

If it was subject to a recall it will probably be an easy boat and car upgrade for them.

[Wretched]

Who doesn't apply the handbrake when the car is stationary and intending to leave the car? Seriously it isn't an optional accessory, it's there for a reason, to stop the car rolling.

Americans, they do some amazing things at times, then they do this.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Who doesn't apply the handbrake when the car is stationary and intending to leave the car? Seriously it isn't an optional accessory, it's there for a reason, to stop the car rolling.

Americans, they do some amazing things at times, then they do this.

I know some people that only put automatics in park and don't apply the handbrake at all if it's on the flat. But I have got in a work car one day which was parked on a hill with no handbrake, just in park. It didn't sound good released it.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I know some people that only put automatics in park and don't apply the handbrake at all if it's on the flat.

I do too, I try to give them the hint but most of the time they can't be bothered with it.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Who doesn't apply the handbrake when the car is stationary and intending to leave the car? Seriously it isn't an optional accessory, it's there for a reason, to stop the car rolling.

Americans, they do some amazing things at times, then they do this.

I was working with a team of blokes in NYC and everyone of them told me to stop using the handbrake. Even at car rental places I get a kick out of pulling the handbrake and watching the employee hop in and place it in drive and take a moment to find out the handbrake is on

[XR Martin]

I dont apply the parkbrake in autos if its flat...
The car wont go anywhere...The parking pawl on the transmission ensures that. Even on a hill.

This guy got out of the car while it was still in N, not in Park.

[Madaya]

I drive a manual (FG ute). On the flat, yeah, a bit of handbrake. On a slight slope, 1st or reverse + handbrake. Steep slope, same as previous plus a lot of handbrake. Poor lad.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

I dont apply the parkbrake in autos if its flat...
The car wont go anywhere...The parking pawl on the transmission ensures that. Even on a hill.

This guy got out of the car while it was still in N, not in Park.

True, but it doesn't feel right on any slope. Even a gentle one.
I once accidentally stuck my 300c in park on a slight hill and let my foot off the brake. Car rolled forwards and snapped the park lock release thing. The one that releases when you put your foot on the brake. Had to take the centre console apart and release it by hand. But it is an American car so I can't expect too much reliability.

But with this Jeep recall I am assuming there is some issue where people might think it has been put into park but it is not. Can't see them recalling a car because someone just made a mistake.

[Vesper Martini]

Not sure how the park is activated in a 2015 JGC, but they have an electronic gear selector.
Could be a factor.

[arronm]

Gee how come we all didn't get ran over in the 70s and 80s when the car had no reminders.

[Sabantien]

Originally Posted by arronm

Gee how come we all didn't get ran over in the 70s and 80s when the car had no reminders.

I reckon a good few people did. They're just not the ones now able to talk about not being run over on forums.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

I reckon a good few people did. They're just not the ones now able to talk about not being run over on forums.

They weren't in the Star Trek film so who cares what happened to them?

[IanC]

Originally Posted by arronm

Gee how come we all didn't get ran over in the 70s and 80s when the car had no reminders.

People did. I know a guy who was run over by his 68 auto Falcon. This was back about 78 or so. As far as I remember he left it running and in neutral but no handbrake. He got out to check something and the car slipped into Reverse and the door hit him. Luckily it wasn't serious. Apparently the auto box they used then used to do that.

It is a tragedy for the guy and his family. It just shows how easy it is for something to happen to any of us at any time.

[Vesper Martini]

It wont be long till its impossible to do this, BMW have this Electromechanical Parking Brake http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t..._parking_brake

I think even the ecosport has a hill start feature that stops it rolling backwards

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

I think even the ecosport has a hill start feature that stops it rolling backwards

Automatic Lancers have this feature where you press the brake pedal a bit harder than normal and the car "locks" the brake on so you don't roll back when leaving a sloped road.

[Warrenk]

In the Jeep GC's you cannot turn off the motor unless the gearbox is park. So if he hopped out of his Jeep and he thought it was in park with the motor running it would been more than likely would have been in reverse if he failed to select park. If the park break was not applied it would have gone backwards. So maybe the Jeep did not roll backwards as quoted in the media, but reversed into him.

[Dauphin]

I've noticed almost all mechanics don't use the handbrake when I've gone to get a car after having something done. After having to have my handbrake adjusted X times I've kind of stopped doing it when parking in my driveway, which is flat.

I've also thought that if a car nudged me during a parking mishap, it might help reduce some damage since the car can rock on the wheels a little bit.

[csv8]

Chrysler issue recall after actors death.
http://www.motoring.com.au/chrysler-...n-flaw-102861/

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by csv8

Chrysler issue recall after actors death.
http://www.motoring.com.au/chrysler-...n-flaw-102861/

The only correlation between the recall and the actors death is that it happened a week before the recall was scheduled for Oz (recall has been out in the US).

To give a flavour on what this recall is about. The gear selector in the GC is not traditionally gated. It's a single push forward, single pull backward action, however you get tactile feedback as it "notches" past PRNDS (i.e. as you pull the level back from P to D, you feel the notching as it passes R, N and then into D. There are in-gear indicators on the gear lever and also right in the middle of the speedo and taco.

The problem is that it's not initially intuitive, and you do need to ensure that gear selector has landed where you expect it. Which is ultimately what is causing user errors by not paying attention and ensuring it's in the selected gear or P when parking. Add in that opposed to us Aussies, US owners don't tend to use the parking brake (the GC's have a foot park brake) and you can see where roll-aways can happen, keeping in mind that out of the GC's sold globally, that there has been 14 non-fatal issues related directly to this user error. The actors car was in Neutral and no park brake was applied, so time will tell (after all the attempted suing is completed) if this was as a result of the gear selector not being put in gear correctly or not. Either way, user error.

But in saying all that, it's a poorly executed design and combine that with not using the Parking Brake and this crap will happen due to drivers not paying attention.

The recall I believe, will automatically put the car in P, when the vehicle is stopped and a door is open. Plus additional audible and warning signs on the dash.

Personally I like the way the selector works, however a couple times I've gone to put it in P (Park Brake on) and not paying attention have selected R or N. So the added warnings, will help.

[Matty4]

I guess the other issue here is that in the USA they don't call it a Park Brake, it's known as an E (Emergency) Brake. I suspect that's why these roll-aways happen, because just parking your car isn't deemed an emergency, therefore no need to apply the E brake.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Matty4

I guess the other issue here is that in the USA they don't call it a Park Brake, it's known as an E (Emergency) Brake. I suspect that's why these roll-aways happen, because just parking your car isn't deemed an emergency, therefore no need to apply the E brake.

Funny enough if you look at the Ford systems for stuff like auto tailagte, lights in the tray they wont activate unless the hand brake is applied so you dont get hit/run over in the car. This direction comes from the us.

[mik]

Whatever happened, you would think in this day and age with all the Wizz bang technology available, they could put a sensor in the drivers seat and the drivers door, so if it detects either the park brake or gear lever is not in the appropriate spot when the driver opens the door an starts to get out an alarm goes off with a warning light.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by mik

Whatever happened, you would think in this day and age with all the Wizz bang technology available, they could put a sensor in the drivers seat and the drivers door, so if it detects either the park brake or gear lever is not in the appropriate spot when the driver opens the door an starts to get out an alarm goes off with a warning light.

I agree, especially since the Jeep has an electronic gear Selector.

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

I agree, especially since the Jeep has an electronic gear Selector.

As I previously posted, it does and i've tried it. Engine running, trans in neutral and I opened the door. You get a continuous chime and a flashing message on the dash, it's in neutral here but you get the same if it's in D or R (the reds are quite diluted in the pic) -

[Streets]

Here's a good video about the gear selector:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FYtLLJ8nII

[mik]

Originally Posted by Streets

Here's a good video about the gear selector:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FYtLLJ8nII

It seems to be a system designed to look pretty and save space and pretend to be simple, i know i sound like a broken record , but not all progress is good , i love the old style t bar shifter in my au .
The old way of mechanically moving things by hand and having some feel and feed back are just disappearing for stuff all controlled by electronics and computers , these modern wizz bang cars are going to be utter throw away dung boxes of the future .... gaurantee it .

[Kieron]

From memory, the joystick style shifter used on the GC was German designed and is used in quite a few Euro cars. The one difference is the GC uses a foot operated mechanical park brake and the Euro's use electric brakes, therefore the Euro's can detect this situation and electronically apply the park brake.

Oddly the baby Cherokee has an electric park brake and a traditional shifter and if you have a look at the MY16 GC, it's reverted to a traditional shifter too!

I believe but can't confirm that the GC 'fix' electronically puts the vehicle in Park if it detects engine running, vehicle not in Park and/or hand brake not on and driver has left the vehicle, the latter supposedly uses the seatbelt sensor but I think it really means the seatbelt detecting system, ie bum on seat or not rather than seatbelt on/off as this would make it a PITA if you reverse with the door open/hanging out the door with seatbelt off.

[Kieron]

Just tried this on mine, engine in, trans in N, park brake off. Open the door and a chime goes off and the dash panel flashes red saying trans not in park, plenty of warning.