Funny--But Not So Funny--What Was GM Thinking?

Is there not a manual handle on the door to over ride the electric release on this particular model ?
 
Is there not a manual handle on the door to over ride the electric release on this particular model ?
In the good old days even the most high-end luxury automobile still had manual door lock redundancy that you could easily grip and pull....
They could bring back these like the old days and eliminate the need for special releases that require knowledge of their existence number one and number two more complexity costing more money to produce.
 
Reminds me of the Land Rovers we had at my last job as company runabouts. (We had a sponsorship deal with LR, pretty cool.) The gearshift was an aluminum knob that popped out of the center console when you got in and hit the start button. I always wondered what would happen when that mechanism failed and you could start the car but had no way to put it in gear. Not the best zombie apocalypse vehicle. :D
 
Is there not a manual handle on the door to over ride the electric release on this particular model ?

Yes there is a manual release, but is is "hidden", and only detailed in the manual--not labelled visibly in the vehicle. There are no "conventional" door handles.
 
Is there not a manual handle on the door to over ride the electric release on this particular model ?

Right in the article:

Now, GM planned for an eventuality like this by placing a manual door release handle on the ground next to the seat. It's marked with a red diagram of the driver-side door opening. There's also a section about it in the owner's manual. The only problem here, was that Pyros says he didn't know the release was there, and he didn't have his owner's manual in the car. Because of this, Pyros may not have made it out alive if not for a neighbor coming to his rescue.

Operator error. It is labeled. Whether or not it's labelled clearly enough is up for debate.
 
You should never have to read the manual to use an exit door. Buildings have tons of standards about exit doors, basically all of them are supposed to use a push bar and not be locked for exit. I'm surprised cars don't have the same. My Lincolns have a mechanical interlock with the door locks. Pull the interior handle and it will unlock the door and let you out. Door handle yanks on the latch via a rod, its about as reliable and simple as you could want.
 
At one point (years ago) I had amassed a "collection" of 5 Pontiac Fieros--all 2M6 or GT models--one even had a Cadillac Northstar V8 "transplant" in it. I let a friend "borrow" one to play with for a while. When he went to put gas in it before returning it, he couldn't find the fuel filler door release. They were not on the dash, in the glovebox, console or even on the floor, like "normal" cars. The fuel filler door release was on the inside of the driver's side "sailpanel"--basically directly above and to the left of the driver's head position--it was a logical and convenient place, because the cars sat so low--all you had to do was open the driver's door and reach in to pop the cover, but not necessarily an "intuitive" place to put it. He had to call me to ask where it was--and it was not clearly labelled either.
 
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After I started to think I was going to die I definantly would have spun around sideways in my seat and started using my feet to bust out a side window. It might not have been easy but if you think you're going to die I think adrenilin would have kicked in
 
Owner's manuals exist for a purpose. Cannot compare the operation of emergency exits/facilities/features in a public building to the level of intimate knowledge that goes with the operation of each specific vehicle which varies widely from one car to the next - especially in a luxury car with raft of advanced features not commonly found in the average automobile. This not 1965.

And why, oh why do so many owners remove important owner's literature from their vehicles where it's most needed I will never understand.
 
And why, oh why do so many owners remove important owner's literature from their vehicles where it's most needed I will never understand.

I too, don't understand this. I will take the owner's manual into the house to read about features or diagnostics, but immediately return it to the vehicle the next time I enter the vehicle. New cars have so many "unique" functions/features that you basically have to have it on-hand at all times. Either that, or you can access most manuals on-line from your phone, but that can be a PITA.

And yes, I am that OCD that I keep all of the manuals/warranty information for all of my appliances in file folders in the house "just in case".
 
Many years ago an irate customer came in complaining that his nephew was almost killed as a result of changing a flat tire because the jack he had been using was from a different car since "the [original] jack is missing." I proceeded to open the trunk and showed him where the jack was - still there, unused underneath the spare tire which was also unused. Not only was jack stowage discussed in the owner's manual, but it was also printed on a placard prominently attached to the underside of the decklid. Need hardly say what a fool the customer felt like.

"Only two things are infinite- the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

- Albert Einstein
 
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annot compare the operation of emergency exits/facilities/features in a public building to the level of intimate knowledge that goes with the operation of each specific vehicle which varies widely from one car to the next

For things other than doors, I'll agree. Doors should operate in an intuitive enough manner that anyone can use them at any time without having to research it. I don't expect passengers to read the manual or attend a pre-drive safety briefing on how to exit the car in an emergency. For this case I don't see a difference between a building and a car. Its a box with a person or persons inside. The only sort of box with people inside that shouldn't be easily exited is a coffin. Heck, they even hang glow in the dark pull tags inside trunks now so you can get out.
 
After thinking about this for a little while, this is increasingly absurd. In the event of a front-end collision, in most vehicles (due to location) the battery is one of the first things to go. If you haven't read the manual and are still aware enough to know what you are doing (after the actual impact and subsequent airbag assault), how are you going to figure out how to get out of the wreckage?
 
For things other than doors, I'll agree. Doors should operate in an intuitive enough manner that anyone can use them at any time without having to research it. I don't expect passengers to read the manual or attend a pre-drive safety briefing on how to exit the car in an emergency. For this case I don't see a difference between a building and a car. Its a box with a person or persons inside. The only sort of box with people inside that shouldn't be easily exited is a coffin. Heck, they even hang glow in the dark pull tags inside trunks now so you can get out.

Years ago a car reviewer of a new 1980 Seville had also mentioned being locked inside the car. This was one of the first cars to have sliding type manual door locks instead of the vertical door lock knobs located at the top of the door panel that had been almost ubiquitous up to that time. He had to consult the manual to find out how to unlock the door manually. This, coming from someone whose profession was that of an automobile reviewer.

The question of "what is intuitive" and what is not is therefore not so easily defined. I'm sorry but the owner's responsibility to familiarize himself with all aspects of operation in order to ensure safety- not only for himself but any passengers under his care. It's no different than the duties of a captain of oceanliner or a 747 to those under their's on a smaller scale.
 
I'll go ahead and de-rail this thread--hell, I started it--to share a funny story.

I was in a WalMart parking lot and there was a "young lady" trying to get into her car--she was "locked out". Her key-fob was not opening the doors and she couldn't get in and was panicking. I took her physical key, stuck it in the lock and opened the door for her--she didn't even know you could do that. All she had ever used was the remote, and the battery had gone dead. I popped out the battery and told her to go back inside and "buy one of these"--the number is on the back.
 
So many cars these days have elaborate circuits just for the novelty of it.
In my Audi I always leave the owners manual in the glove box - which has an electric release.
What if the Cadillac was the same?
 
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