I can see the logic/appeal of automatically-locking power door locks. Maybe you have or regularly transport little kids, or maybe you have to regularly drive through sketchy neighborhoods. I have neither of those concerns and find the auto-locking locks an annoyance.
The Fit's default setting is that they automatically lock at 9 mph (why 9 and not a nice even 10, I dunno, but that bugs me too). And on manual-transmission cars (like ours) they automatically unlock when you turn off the engine (automatic-tranny cars auto-unlock when you put the gear selector in Park). So why the pet peeve?
A number of times over the weekend I had to quickly drop people off (friend at his car, girlfriend at the mall's entrance, girlfriend in front of restaurant to put our names in while I parked). We're talking just letting them hop out of the car -- a few seconds event that doesn't warrant shutting off the car. And every time, said passenger would grab the door release lever in vain, followed by both of us fumbling for the lock button. It could also make for a rather embarrassing, Seinfeldian scene on a first date, too.
Long story shortened, I grabbed the manual and in 3 quick steps (turn ignition to 'on' position, press and hold power lock button until you hear a click, release switch and turn ignition back to 'lock' position) easily canceled the auto-lock function, leaving the decision of when to lock 'em up, up to me.
wobbly_ears says:
03:42 PM, 11/16/09
The reason why doors lock/unlock automatically is that during crash tests, it helps to improve side impact crash scores.
fhwulala says:
04:17 PM, 11/16/09
For the automatic fit sport,
The original program is that when you put the gear into park, it only unlocks the drivers' door.
But u can re-program it to unlock all 5 doors when the gear is put to park,
which I think pretty much every fit owner has done the first day they get their car.
tisdante says:
04:20 PM, 11/16/09
I know you can change the auto lock/ unlock settings in the Fit, though I am not sure if you can turn them off completely. I haven't tried yet. But I too though the "approximately 9 mph" thing was a bit odd. Not sure why they chose 9...
stangmatt66 says:
04:22 PM, 11/16/09
Too bad the door release doesn't open the door, locked or otherwise, like in BMWs and VWs. This is a great solution for auto-locking cars. Don't worry about the kids, the rear doors have lockouts to prevent this.
jaden82 says:
04:42 PM, 11/16/09
One of my favorite features of my 02 Focus is that, while it automatically locks when it gets going, it doesn't unlock automatically when I shut off the car. It only does that when I pull on the interior door handle. I thought that was a good idea...no having to fumble for the unlock button or shut off the car. Just pull the handle and step out.
lostandfound08 says:
04:51 PM, 11/16/09
The Civic doesn't have a setting to unlock all the doors automatically—just the driver's door. This leads to the most frustrating thing about Hondas: the door lock switch is backwards. You have to press down on the switch to unlock the doors, and this is opposite of what is intuitive from the days when all door locks were plungers. Up is unlocked, down is locked. This creates a great deal of frustration when you're the passenger and the doors don't automatically unlock, so you end up locking the driver's door in your attempt to get out.
bc1960 says:
06:38 PM, 11/16/09
"But I too though the "approximately 9 mph" thing was a bit odd. Not sure why they chose 9..."
Because it's rounded from 15 km/hr and it doesn't make sense to change it to 16 km/hr just to please backward 'merkans?
vt8919 says:
11:03 PM, 11/16/09
bc1960, good point.
crystalfivemt says:
11:44 PM, 11/16/09
First of all, why are some of you OCD people fixated on the 9mph locking speed? Who cares? If it was 1 mph higher at 10mph that would appease you? What if it were at kph? Seriously you guys need a life. Who gives a frog's fat ass if it's at 9 mph or 10 mph? Why would 10 be better than 9?
Plus, if you read the manual, you can set it so when you turn off the ignition, ALL doors unlock. Do a little reading of the manual and you can find interesting things before posting.
leftnose says:
07:10 AM, 11/17/09
It's about 9 MPH probably because it's actually set to 15 KPH.
jaeger1 says:
07:30 AM, 11/17/09
The auto-lock is easily defeatable, so where's the beef? My wife loves the feature on her Fit. I can't stand it - but it's her car. Since the owner does in fact get to choose, I don't see any problem with it.
blueguydotcom says:
07:35 AM, 11/17/09
BMWs do not auto unlock. I LOVE that feature. I do NOT want my doors to auto unlock ever. Yes I have a kid in the back. When I want to get him out I'll press the door unlock button.
I've had a few loaner BMWs the last few weeks and I set the auto lock (well all features) within 20 minutes of getting into the cars. Five minutes at stop lights and the cars are set to my liking. Save for the auto-dimming mirrors which do not apparently have a setting in premium pack cars. God I hate those things.
ih8hyundai says:
07:42 AM, 11/17/09
I don't understand why they don't just unlock when you pull the door handle. Like every GM I've had with autolock.
crowb says:
08:05 AM, 11/17/09
@ lostandfound08:
Not sure what year Civic you are talking about, by my 09 Civic has the same function as the Fit. You can have it auto unlock one door or all doors. Or you can totally shut off the auto-lock/unlock feature.
Interestingly, if you are traveling faster than 9 mph and you try to unlock the door with the autolock function set, it will immediately relock them. I found this out when trying to drop my wife off at a friends house. I tried to unlock the doors in advance of stopping so she could hop right out and no dice. Its still a good feature though. My wife is obsessed with having the doors locked when she's inside the vehicle. So the autolock function is nice.
zcalvert says:
09:29 AM, 11/17/09
If the feature is easily defeatable, I'm not sure I understand what the problem is.
On second thought, weren't you the one who wrote a post that "disappeared" complaining about the broken gas gauge on the G8 that was actually a temp gauge? Just saying...
crowb says:
11:30 AM, 11/17/09
I took this not so much as a complaint from John but as a run down of his interface with the car and its autolock system. Its sort of a backdoor compliment to the people who designed it. "Thanks for allowing me to customize it because its default setting was grating on my nerves, and here's how I changed it..." that type of a thing.
bimmerjay says:
12:07 AM, 11/18/09
"BMWs do not auto unlock. I LOVE that feature. I do NOT want my doors to auto unlock ever. Yes I have a kid in the back. When I want to get him out I'll press the door unlock button."
Wow blueguy, I actually agree with you on something! Auto unlock = worst "feature" ever. The doors stay locked in my car 99.43% of the time. And they get unlocked when I'm damn good and ready.
Furthermore, doors should never unlock and open in one pull of the inside handle. That type of mechanism is more prone to fail to remain secured in the event of a serious crash. When underway both inside and outside handles should be mechanically disabled by a hard lock.