Picked up my model 3 yesterday. Great car, a few issues to be dealt with afterwards, but from a driving perspective, I had what could have been a bit of a disaster happen: was turning into a parking lot, and as I turned the steering wheel, my hand hit the drive selector paddle, putting the car into reverse! Thankfully I was driving slowly into a small lot, but I just imagine this happening while making a right hand turn into another street. Worrisome that you could suddenly find yourself in reverse, especially if there was someone following closely behind you, or if you are going faster. Not sure what the solution would be other than to not hit the paddle accidentally, but I was surprised to see that the car would effortlessly jump from drive to reverse without a full stop. Has anyone else had this happen? Can it actually happen at higher speeds?
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Sudden shift into reverse
- Thread starter Dante
- Start date
Nappe
Member
There is a speed limit for the shift into reverse and back, and it is pretty low, like at a walking pace of 5 km/h (maybe 5 m.p.h or 8 km/h).
I love using this feature in parking lots, where I can move forward and backward slowly in and out of a parking space without needing to touch the brake until I am ready to stop.
I love using this feature in parking lots, where I can move forward and backward slowly in and out of a parking space without needing to touch the brake until I am ready to stop.
This partially answers my question about any issues or concerns with brakeless transtion from backing out to moving forward. The service technician said it won't harm anything but might not work, and don't go crazy.
I haven't tested all these, but these are the scenarios.
1. Rolling back after releasing throttle and shifting into drive while still rolling back. It keeps rolling back when in drive, and starts to move forward when throttle is applied.
2. Applying throttle for slow backup in reverse, and switching to Drive while still applying throttle. This is like "rocking" an ordinary automatic tramsition to get our of snow or icy rut, using the idle "creep" to drive it.
3. #2 but at higher speed to reach a safety limit.
4. Reversing direction (switch from D to R) in each of the above scenarios.
5. Any differences in Creep mode.
I haven't tested all these, but these are the scenarios.
1. Rolling back after releasing throttle and shifting into drive while still rolling back. It keeps rolling back when in drive, and starts to move forward when throttle is applied.
2. Applying throttle for slow backup in reverse, and switching to Drive while still applying throttle. This is like "rocking" an ordinary automatic tramsition to get our of snow or icy rut, using the idle "creep" to drive it.
3. #2 but at higher speed to reach a safety limit.
4. Reversing direction (switch from D to R) in each of the above scenarios.
5. Any differences in Creep mode.
If this is something that actually happened, you aren’t holding the steering wheel properly.
Soul Surfer
Cancervivor, tech geek & musician
This alms=ost reminds me of the first time I took mine through the touch-free wash and forgot that I had the car set to HOLD. I felt the "Ftomp-Ftomp" of the track roller as they forced themselves under my wheels.
Bottom line: We had become so accustomed to driving cars with centre console shifting that we forgot about the "three-on-the-tree" of the past.
Chill. One of the cool things about EV's is that flipping into reverse will cause no harm, unlike an automatic transmission. YOU WILL FIGURE THIS OUT SOONER THAN YOU KNOW.
Peace out - JP
It’s not worrisome at all, in my opinion. If you are in Drive and moving faster than a few kmh (not sure of the exact number) the software will prevent Reverse engaging. Remember, the car is controlled through software, not a mechanical linkage.
If you in gear and moving really slowly and shift it will select the gear you asked for but the car does not “jerk” it will keep moving; then if you take your foot off the accelerator pedal and come to a stop, or apply the brake to stop, and then apply pressure to the accelerator the car will move in the direction you selected.
There is nothing to worry about. Go to an empty parking lot and see what happens at various speeds when you shift into Reverse or Drive. You will see that the software is pretty smart. I’ve been driving Teslas for 9 years and over 200km. I have inadvertently changed gears and never had a problem.
“Inadvertently changing gears” is a HUGE cause for concern! Just because you have never had a problem doesn’t make it OK. Actually, my friend just died because of this:
Angela Chao drowned after fatal mistake in her Tesla, called for help
Not once have I heard a current model Mercedes for example shift inadvertently. Tesla should have stuck with the Mercedes shift stalk.
Angela Chao drowned after fatal mistake in her Tesla, called for help
Not once have I heard a current model Mercedes for example shift inadvertently. Tesla should have stuck with the Mercedes shift stalk.
Please review my post.
The software prevents the driver from getting into trouble if they select R or D while moving in the opposite direction.
GNFO
Member
I'm sorry your friend died, but since you posted this three different places and never retracted it, I have to qualify this. Your friend died because she operated a motor vehicle with three times the legal blood alcohol limit, not because of the Tesla (and we don't even know what model year it was and frankly it doesn't matter now). There is also a very good chance that it also contributed to her inability to get out of the car, although other people (not in Teslas) have panicked and died under similar circumstances before. People make mistakes and she made a fatal one. Look no further than the fact that her family is NOT suing Tesla.
Angela Chao: Shipping billionaire intoxicated when she drowned in Tesla, police report shows
Per the NHTSA, 13,384 people died in the U.S. in 2021 as a result of drunk driving. The only reasons her death went any further than the local news were that the name Tesla was involved and she was a billionaire. Probably mostly because of the name Tesla, since every headline seemed to feel the need to include that.
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