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Anyone Hit the Gear Selector by Mistake?

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mknox

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2012
10,104
1,900
Toronto, ON
So, waiting for my Model S, I'm driving home tonight in my ICE in the drizzle and realize that the wiper stalk in both of my current cars is in the exact same position as Model S's gear selector. It has become almost automatic to give the stalk a tap down (or in my other car, a tap up) to wipe the window once when it's drizzling or if spray is coming off the car in front.

Suddenly, I thought what if muscle memory causes me to hit the gear selector by mistake when I'm driving along in my (future) Model S!

I suppose tapping it down if it's already in "Drive" wouldn't do any harm, but as I say, my other car is a tap up to wipe the window. What would tapping the gear selector up do in a Model S under way?

Quite a few of my past cars have had wiper stalks on the right side, and I don't think I've had a car with a column shifter since the late '70s.

Anyone done this, or am I being ridiculously paranoid? :scared:
 
I think you'll get used to it very quickly. Worst case is you'll shift into Neutral. I don't think it will let you shift into Park or Reverse when you're traveling at speed but I haven't wanted to check that..
 
The car will let you go into neutral, I did that once. It will let you shift back into drive (if moving forward) without hitting the brake as long as you're going > ~5 mph. If you're going less than 5 mph, it requires you to step on the brake.

If you're traveling more than 5 mph, it will refuse to let you do a "reverse drop (the transmission)".
 
Nope, I don't hit the gear lever, but I always hit the cruise control lever trying to signal. The signal stalk is way too low :(

I'd read about that before ever taking a test drive (have had two test drives so far) and didn't find this to be a problem. The cruise lever is in an odd spot, but the turn signal lever seems to be about where my hand expects it to be. No long-term experience yet, so I may have to revise this position!