I can lock the doors with the power lock button on either of my cars when the door is open, but not if the key is in the ignition.
I guess you must see it to appreciate it littlemouse.
Oblivion…it never occurred to me that the mechanics of lockiing the door of a car never really contributed to door opening integrity so much as security from the outside. That’s a perspective I never thought of before. Thanks for your comments. Everyone will have varying opinions as not everyone has active toddlers in the back for example.
The only item I would comment on from my experience, is that since actuators for locks. 4wd and about everything else has been introduced, I can’t remember an over use failure. Any actuator failures I have had personally or talked to those who have, have been from lack of use and/or poor weather protection…or wiring being on the mice menu.
So I guess I subscribe to the " what you don’t use, you loose" theory.
I can lock the doors with the power lock button on either of my cars when the door is open, but not if the key is in the ignition.
I haven’t seen that in years. When I try to lock the doors with one door open the vehicle beeps at me telling me something is wrong.
My Toyota has the option to set the locks on automatic or maunual. Since we don’t live in Detroit, I have them on manual. If we carry small children in the car, I lock the doors.
What really scares me is going off the road and ito the water on roads near waterways. We know of a person who drowned in his car because he could not unlock the doors!
I actually cut the wires that operate the electric locking system on every vehicle that I personally drive.When I sold the S-10 the buyer declined my offer to reconnect the wire. He preferred to keep things simple. It seems to be an older generation thing. Honestly, in all my life only 2 people ever jumped into my vehicle uninvited and both were prostitutes in Memphis who mistook me for someone younger and dumber. But of course, my vehicles are quite plain and quite old and quite unwanted by crooks. And thankfully there aren’t many crooks in my neighborhood. I left Oakland 40 years ago to get away from traffic jams and the need to look over my shoulder constantly. The keys are in my vehicles now and the doors are unlocked, But then none of the doors on the house are locked. I rarely lock them. The joys of living in rural Mississippi are simple. Like me.
I agee they are seldom really needed, but, when looking for a car for my daughter who was traveling along the East coast, doing 8week clinicals in 4 different hospitals, all in large cities, power door locks were a must. It’s all situational and IMO, “it’s better to have them and not need them then need them and not have them.”
Regarding safety for a young woman alone in an unfriendly location, the remote systems usually unlock both front doors when the key fob is operated and that seems less safe than using a key. And the child safety lock system is a total disaster in my opinion.
The remotes only unlock all doors if you push the button twice. A single push only unlocks the driver door on every one of these I’ve ever seen. It’s also a heck of a lot faster to unlock with the remote than fumbling with a key. And most of these will turn on interior lights and headlights too when used.