We love tech, when it works
A look at the Top 10 ways vehicle technology is letting us down
So many parts of our technology-laden vehicles work so well. This includes engines and mechanical systems that control braking, handling, fuel delivery, exhaust and suspensions.
But several other features, more often than not the newfangled techie bits, fail to live up to such high operational standards.
The features, while mostly useful when they work, can be incredibly frustrating when they don’t work, not to mention they can create potential safety hazards.
Below are 10 of the more common features in many vehicles today that either don’t always work as designed or need to work better.
While some manufacturers have figured out fixes, many others still haven’t engineered solutions to problems that consistently leave drivers annoyed.
n Backup cameras that don’t get dirty
Ask anyone who has a backup camera whether they like it and the answer is a universal yes. When the car is clean, it’s like having a fourth mirror — the perfect aid when reversing. Most cars employ a small camera, usually centre-mounted along the trunk line; but cameras for any car driven anywhere in this country get dirty, often blocking visibility and rendering the camera useless. What to do? Volkswagen mounts their cameras under the VW badge — which flips open when the car is put in reverse — to keep it clean.
n TPMS systems that are more than a simple light
A tire pressure monitoring system that simply ignites a light on the dash when a tire gets low has only limited value. Which tire? How low is it? Do I need to pull over immediately? Several manufacturers, however, use systems that show the exact pressure in each tire, so when one gets a little low and sends an alert, the driver knows which tire and by how much, and often can read how much time he or she has to get it fixed. TPMS systems should also accept codes for two sets of tires in Canada — in some places winter tires are required by law — to eliminate the need to visit the dealership.
n Distance-to-empty meters that go lower than 50 km range
Most new cars show the “range” remaining in the fuel tank, based on the car’s average fuel consumption. Very helpful to know when you’ll need to fill ’er up. Problem is, a lot of these meters don’t go below 50 kilometres of range. Yes, of course, it’s not wise to let a tank drop this low, especially in winter, but life isn’t always so neat and tidy and convenient, and sometimes we end up in scenarios where we need to determine precisely how much fuel we’ve got left before hitting empty. Again, more information is better than less.
n Keyless entry that allows entry
Some keyless entry systems are excellent at allowing the key to remain in your pocket, with doors unlocking when you touch them, and engines starting at the push of a button. But not all systems are created equal, and many don’t unlock when they should, or don’t lock after repeated touches of the door handle or trunk release, requiring you to fish for the key and hit the button on the fob, defeating the intent of keyless. While a key is certainly simpler, the march to keyless is inevitable, so automakers need to unlock why some work far better than others.
n Dash lights that reveal your headlights are off
If it’s dark outside, dash lights should only illuminate when the vehicle’s headlights are on — a simple way to tell you so. No dash lights will immediately inform the driver he or she is driving only with dim, daytime running lights and no tail lights — a phenomenon that’s all too frequent. If that’s too complicated, all cars should be equipped with automatic headlamps that come on in the dark regardless of headlight setting, with a temporary override. Technology has created this problem, technology can solve it. n Mandatory capless fuel fillers Ford introduced us to the capless fuel filler and others have since adopted their own. The problem isn’t so much with the capless systems, which tend to work most of the time. The issue is automakers who have yet to embrace the simple, elegant solution to removing and refastening the ancient gas cap. Plenty of drivers still leave the cap dangling; some caps will trigger a check engine light if not screwed back on correctly. Especially useful for diesel vehicles, the capless filler’s time has arrived. Embrace them.