It’s a federal law that cars with typical automatic transmissions have to be in park before you can remove the key. See section S.5.2.1, under rollaway protection. That’s the latest version, but I’m fairly certain it’s been on the books since at least the late 80s, maybe early 90s.
In other words, your car is broken. Don’t blame the engineers. Well, actually, you can blame the engineers a little, because the Sebring is a big piece of crap, but it’s half Mitsubishi under the skin, so I’m not sure which direction you should point your finger. You also need to blame yourself a little for buying a Sebring. And I’m going to blame you a bit for making me defend the engineers who designed the Sebring. <shudder>
Maybe this is a bad habit of us flatlanders but I don’t know ANYONE who uses what I’ve always called the emergency brake for an automatic in park here in the midwest. I’m talking no one.
Yeah, me neither. In all the years I’ve driven automatics, I’ve never used the parking brake and never had a car jump out of Park and roll away. Manual transmissions, yes, I’ve always set the brake. But never on an automatic.
There were three Sebrings in 2002, the Coupe, Convertible, and Sedan. The Coupe was a Diamond-Star car and was for all intents and purposes a Mitsubishi. The sedan and convertible were the Chrysler JR platform, which was the second generation of the JA “cloud cars” (Cirrus/Stratus/Breeze) and shared nothing with Mitsubishi.
the last Sebring (2007-2010) was a piece of crap because of multiple failures of management and misallocation of time and resources, along with being thrown into tatters mid-development after the failed bid of Daimler to take over Mitsubishi Motors and integrate them with Chrysler.
In hilly areas, I use the Emergency Brake before I put it in park, otherwise it has a tendency to get jammed on automatics. On Manuals I leave it in neutral w/EM brake on.
On flat ground it isn’t as necessary for automatics, only manuals.
So, I’m guessing you don’t use the EM brake at all in a hilly area? :dubious:
Sometimes I do, but every once in a while, I don’t. If the transmission is in good shape, and the vehicle is actually in Park, then there’s no need. Period.
Of course, this assumes that you keep your transmission in good working order, and that you’ve actually put the thing fully in Park.
FWIW, Most European and Asian automatics allow you to remove the key at any gear selector position. The move-to-park-to-remove-key is mainly an American thing.
I did that when I was 16 and my car rolled down the driveway and ended up in the neighbors yard. The e-brake isn’t meant to be the only thing holding the car.
I always use the parking brake in an automatic or a manual. I’ve mostly driven manuals, and anytime I park I put it in reverse or first with the parking brake on. It’s really common in my experience that people who only drive automatics will almost never use the parking brake for any purpose whatsoever. Yeah, most of the time even on hills you’re fine. But when you’re not fine, you’ll be really sorry you weren’t in the habit of using the parking brake.
However, drivers of manual transmissions also have the bad habit of only using the parking brake to keep their car immobile when it is parked/turned off. That’s also not very wise.
Another bad habit (similar to just leaving it in park for an auto), if you drive a manual transmission and you leave it in gear when you’ve parked, it typically won’t roll away on flat ground or anything either. I’ve known a lot of people to leave manuals parked like that as well (without the parking brake.) That’s also really unwise.
It wasn’t a pot shot. It’s a statement of fact. How often do you hear people refer to the parking brake as an “emergency brake” and how often do you see people with automatic transmissions use the parking brake? Often and almost never are probably the answers.
Cause I could point out people who post things needlessly lacking tact have an idiotic lack of awareness of others, or a complete selfish disregard for others.
That’s factual. See all the factual pot shots you can take with your choose of words?
B)
Simply point out you could have made your point without indirectly calling me an idiot. Obviously I feel bad, because I know I made a mistake. Are you the kind of person who wants to make others feel worse?
Seem level of factual content. However choosing insulting phrasing is a pot shot. Which you did.
Why would I call an overly sensitive pussy an idiot?
My original post was a blanket statement aimed towards owners of automatic transmission cars, not just you. I’m incredulous to the attitude some have about the parking brake in auto tran cars. In fact, I once had a teenage punk at a rental place think he was going to give me a lecture about how I didn’t need to set the “E” brake in the car I was returning. I didn’t need to reply as his manager gave him an earful before I could speak.
Do you have some sort of personal problem with Engineers, because most of your diatribe seems to be against them. Are you an Engineer? Do you even have any idea of what Engineering students are really taught in design classes? It’s
SAFETY
first and foremost.
Even if it wasn’t a law and your car wasn’t broken (which is seems it may be), my WAG, being an Engineer, former professor, and having numerous contacts at one of the former Big-3, is that if this safety feature was somehow not included on purpose, then it was almost certainly due to cost-cutting or marketing saying consumers don’t want it. They teach us Engineers - B teach Engineering students - to err on the side of safety before the first aspect of design is put to paper.
I don’t think so. I’ve got a 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon which requires me to put it in Park before I can remove the key. Previously I had a 1996 Subaru Outback which required the same, until I unplugged the darn buzzer which sounded every time I opened the door with the key in. After that, I could take the key out no matter what position the selector was in. Note my location.
My 2006 Toyota auto also requires the car to be in park to remove the key.
To add a few more thoughts…
Parking on a hill, a manual should always be in gear
Driving a manual you must always check it is neutral before attempting to start
Parking on a slope you should turn the wheels towards the kerb (assuming there is a kerb)
And yeah, EVERYTIME you park, the parking brake should be engaged
