Thread: MOST DANGEROUS 4X4 EVER MADE!

Sorry to hear of the incident Drivesafe, but it really got me thinking that if an electrical system can block someone with YOUR knowledge about DC current, what hope for those without your knowledge!
I hope you've reported this to LRA so that they can address this not just for your vehicle but for the thousands of others out ther including the RRS, D3 and D4 as it seems from the responses that they use the same idiotic system.
Glad your wife is ok.

Most modern cars are like this.

The steering lock is indeed electronically/electrically engaged and disengaged.

You'll notice a click when the key is inserted into the ignition, or the fob, or you've got close enough to the antenna to trigger it. It all differs a little by manufacturer.

The security module dialogues with the key to ensure that they match before unlocking the steering and all the rest. Now, given that all of this electronic dialogue is necessary to ensure the vehicle immobiliser will allow it to be started, the automatic transmission placed in gear and the like, just why the hell do we need a steering lock anymore?

As we have all just noticed this is a VERY BAD THING when there is a complete power failure in the vehicle.

Back in the bad old days all it took was a turn of the key to physically unlock the steering. Before that who needed to worry anyway.

As others have correctly pointed out. Modern cars have become far too clever by half. Too clever for their own and OUR good.

I'm glad no-one was injured in this incident but things like this really do need to be fed back strongly to car makers that there are some very big holes in the actual safety of these vehicles. Seat belts, airbags and the like are wonderful things when the vehicle is subjected to outside trauma but how safe are they when they turn on themselves.

Well those are my thoughts anyway.

Glad it had a happy(ish) ending Drivesafe but I fairly cringe when I think about the potential.

As an aside would like to know the root cause of this and would be very interested if you choose to share when it is discovered.

Iain

Hi All

Needed is a letter of concern to Land Rover about the dangers of this system of steering lock.

Cheers Arthur

Originally Posted by RangieBit

just why the hell do we need a steering lock anymore?

We don't - they've been superceded by engine immobilisers. Back when a vehicle could be started by fitting one of the 2 fuses between both fuse holders it was a way to slow down thieves but not something to fit to a modern vehicle with such disastrous possible consequences. I've gotten a bit used to the 'steering column locked' message that occasionally appears on my D4 but I'd love to get rid of the lock and now there's another reason to do so.

Does the steering lock with the key still in the ignition or only after it's removed?

what should happen is a change to the ADR to make cars safe.
ther are ADR for the gearchange
the morons in victoria got saftey air bags steering and braking and to prevent poor people from driving a car.

the old key lock is a simple idea.dont know how it works but the saab has a key in the center of the console and the steering unlocks when the battery is removed.

I had a mercedes Kompressor drive across the workshop into a wall.
the key was still in my hand when it started in gear.the car must cycle through a prcedure befor stopping.the car made in south afica didnt have simple saftey features like the driver is actually standing outside the car with the door open sencor.the electric key is held aganist the dash and i turned it on to lower the windows.but the car started and when I pulled the key out it reved up stabilized then shut down.

these cars have 0-100 in such a short time that even with the handbrake on it slammed the wall and spun the tyres.

toyota claim they have a safe system.just remove battery to work on.
its works like a computors and asks you do you realy want to stop today.
and like the trusty cattle dog isnt happy with a done for the day.

but they are better than some of the pushbutton start cars ive worked on recently.

years ago i had a 84 bluebird diesel.my mate reached in the window turned on the ignition to look at the fuel gauge and the engine fired on the glow plugs,taking of across a fuel station.after that i conected the starter/glow plugs to the neutral switch.

I dont like the clutch switch the brake switch is better,but it should work without the battery..thats on most cars now.even the fire truck driving instuctors want the clutch depressed.the problem with that is you jump in push the clutch and step out with the car charging away.

The gear lock release on most cars is easy to find,i was asked afew times at wrecker auction to release these.the jeep i found a cable that when the adjuster was slacked off it allowed sencible entry.

there's usually a fairly simple method of getting past the electric steering lock, but it also usually involves using the tools that are in the tool kit thats locked in the back of the car. same same on the handbrake and get the auto out of part, theres a powerless manual release method it varies from make to make.

even if the tyres are pointing the other way, in about 3/4 of cases if you can get the wheels to turn and you have a tow vehicle of at least the same weight you can skull drag the vehicle in the approximate direction you want to go in if you have enough room to get the lead off angle for the tow line.

So, with a complete system power fail, one needs to ask the question "Are the air bags still operational?"

Your wife was lucky, in some respect, that she stopped in the middle of the road, going up hill.

What would happen if she had gone over the crest, and on a down-hill run, the only thing to stop her was something fairly solid - truck, brick wall, power pole.....

Would the air bags, or the entire SRS still be active???