Here’s The Problem With The Gear Selector That Might Have Led To Anton Yelchin's Death
It’s been previously stated by the NHTSA that this electronic shifter - manufactured by German firm ZF - is responsible for hundreds of crashes. As explained and demonstrated by The Fast Lane Car in the video above, the problem stems from the fact that the shifter returns to the centre position after every selection. Unlike many automatic gearbox selectors, it doesn’t have a park button either.
A rollaway incident involving a Jeep Grand Cherokee fitted with one of the problematic shifters claimed the life of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, after he was pinned between the unsecured vehicle and a pillar on his driveway. Cars with the shifter were actually recalled by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) back in April to have new software installed that applies the parking brake if the car’s still in neutral when the door is opened. It’s currently unknown if Yelchin’s car had been given the new software, although given the nature of the tragic accident, we’d assume not.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
So if you just instinctively throw it all the way forward in one motion, it won’t go into park or what? I think someone would feel if it moved over 3 positions or not. Or that they didnt push it forward enough, unless it was their very first time using it, meaning that dont know how far forward park is.
It doesn’t really move forward. You have to flick it a couple of times to select a given gear, but it always returns to the center. Throwing it forward once only makes it select one gear above the one you’re in.
“without looking at the indicators”
Which happen to be right there, on the dashbaord, with all of the other vital information. If you don’t see those indicators, you can’t have been checking the instruments….
Okay, german here who never drove nor sat in an automatic, dont they have a parking brake?
I figured that would be the case.
I don’t care if you use an automatic, manual, CVT, dual clutch, or no transmission at all. USE THE HANDBRAKE.
Our you could, you know, read the manual and pay attention to what you’re doing with your car…
Or build a big lever wich applies the handbrake direct and mechanically without any electronics. You could check whether it’s applied even from outside the car. It’s easy to use and intuitive. It also works if the cars battery is dead.
Wouldn’t that be a great invention?
Oh wait…
I had this for a rental once and it was awesome. The shifter did seem pretty odd and sometimes would be hard to get into the desired gear because of the close grouping. The acceleration was great, even at freeway speeds. It was fully loaded too :)
So, it’s not coming out of park? And people are just idiots? Sounds about right.
You are just proving that it was a neglegienc