View Poll Results: Engineering/Design Defect vs User Error
Engineering/Design Defect
5
4.17%
User Error
115
95.83%
Voters: 120. You may not vote on this poll
Engineering/Design defect vs User error???
Racer
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 302
Likes: 27
From: Eatonville Wa.
There seems to be quite a range of opinions as to how the man and his dog died in his car and how it could have been prevented. Some say it is an engineering/design issue and others say it is the fault of the driver. I thought it would be interesting to start a poll to see where we stand. I'll start with my vote as an engineering/design defect. What say you?
Could the fault been medical? Heart? Stroke?
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 16,870
Likes: 5,326
From: T-Town WA
2016 C6 of Year Finalist
Well, I'm over 70 and, BTW, I do read manuals. However, my problem would be different from the man in question. I would have to determine how to get out of a convertible with the top down, and that's NOT covered in the manual. If anyone has any ideas I'd be glad to hear them.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,433
Likes: 873
From: Bay Area CA
OMG 
This is part of the problem with this world we are in, a simple common sense mistake of not reading an instruction manual included with everything you buy that would have prevented this and people try to put the blame some where else 
There is a reason there is an instruction manual included, it's not the dealer's responsibility to read it to you or go over every single detail of the car with you that you buy or an engineering defect. If you CHOOSE to skip the instruction manual you have nobody to blame but yourself!!!!! 
This is part of the problem with this world we are in, a simple common sense mistake of not reading an instruction manual included with everything you buy that would have prevented this and people try to put the blame some where else There is a reason there is an instruction manual included, it's not the dealer's responsibility to read it to you or go over every single detail of the car with you that you buy or an engineering defect. If you CHOOSE to skip the instruction manual you have nobody to blame but yourself!!!!! 
This just in, " Common sense can saves lives". Never mind reading the ******** manual! And if you can't read, then you should not be driving. NO Wait! It's easier to blame the dealer or manufacturer for one's incompetence. It's just so sad that the lack of took a life. I give the deceased the benefit of doubt and believe a health issue contributed to his death.
Last edited by Mike's LS3; Jun 20, 2015 at 09:19 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,433
Likes: 873
From: Bay Area CA
Ya can't. I sat in mine for three hours one day waiting for my S.O. to bring me a new battery for my fob...and then, because the windows were up, she couldn't figure out how to get it to me. Luckily, her being much craftier than I, she tried the door on the passenger side and lo, and behold, it opened!
Last edited by Mike's LS3; Jun 20, 2015 at 09:20 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,494
Likes: 32
That's my conclusion. I'd be surprised if it saved weight or costs, especially with the redundant manual release, and lets face it, it adds no convenience. But you can't get in or out of the car without noticing the Vette has some electric doodad that sets it apart. Completely unnecessary, and not even cool IMHO, the car has enough styling and performance to set it apart.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 786
Likes: 58
From: New Paltz NY
So my girlfriend and I had an argument in my C6. I pulled over to a rest area and walked away to calm down. My not even thinking at all about it, the car locks itself and she thought I locked her in.
A year later she still brings up how her I locked her in the car and she couldn't get out. BTW, she's an MD. And when we first met, I DID in fact show her where the emergency door release is located so she can get out in an emergency or if the battery died.
I mean..you lend your car to a best friend, the valet, your grandson, your kid, your wife, and you never showed them or you have shown them but failed to remind them where the emergency release is located...or you did show them and they forgot. So the valet gets stuck in the car without knowing where the latch is...some glitch caused it...the car battery died or the FOB died or stopped working and suddenly they can't get out. Reading the owners manual is not the answer.
So, yes a more prominent color on the handle may help.
A year later she still brings up how her I locked her in the car and she couldn't get out. BTW, she's an MD. And when we first met, I DID in fact show her where the emergency door release is located so she can get out in an emergency or if the battery died.
I mean..you lend your car to a best friend, the valet, your grandson, your kid, your wife, and you never showed them or you have shown them but failed to remind them where the emergency release is located...or you did show them and they forgot. So the valet gets stuck in the car without knowing where the latch is...some glitch caused it...the car battery died or the FOB died or stopped working and suddenly they can't get out. Reading the owners manual is not the answer.
So, yes a more prominent color on the handle may help.
Last edited by joliett; Jun 20, 2015 at 10:36 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,106
Likes: 192
From: El Cajon Ca.
So my girlfriend and I had an argument in my C6. I pulled over to a rest area and walked away to calm down. My not even thinking at all about it, the car locks itself and she thought I locked her in.
A year later she still brings up how her I locked her in the car and she couldn't get out. BTW, she's an MD. And when we first met, I DID in fact show her where the emergency door release is located so she can get out in an emergency or if the battery died.
I mean..you lend your car to a best friend, the valet, your grandson, your kid, your wife, and you never showed them or you have shown them but failed to remind them where the emergency release is located...or you did show them and they forgot. So the valet gets stuck in the car without knowing where the latch is...some glitch caused it...the car battery died or the FOB died or stopped working and suddenly they can't get out. Reading the owners manual is not the answer.
So, yes a more prominent color on the handle may help.
A year later she still brings up how her I locked her in the car and she couldn't get out. BTW, she's an MD. And when we first met, I DID in fact show her where the emergency door release is located so she can get out in an emergency or if the battery died.
I mean..you lend your car to a best friend, the valet, your grandson, your kid, your wife, and you never showed them or you have shown them but failed to remind them where the emergency release is located...or you did show them and they forgot. So the valet gets stuck in the car without knowing where the latch is...some glitch caused it...the car battery died or the FOB died or stopped working and suddenly they can't get out. Reading the owners manual is not the answer.
So, yes a more prominent color on the handle may help.
You would want a color that doesn't match the rest of the interior? I like the handle just the way it is. I'll never loan my Corvette to a friend, It will never be valet parked and in addition to my wanting a manual transmission after years of driving cars with automatic transmissions, I never have to worry about my grandchildren asking to drive it
I sure can't figure out why all of you badmouthing the C6 design don't just sell yours.
If you can't see the handles the color they are or can't remember what they are for after reading the OM, maybe you shouldn't be driving.
Last edited by Batman75; Jun 20, 2015 at 11:26 PM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,218
Likes: 4,345
From: Chirper Island
I'm sad that this happened (I've said it about a bunch of times, on more than one sub-forum, and NOW I won't say it anymore).
This was not a rental or a loan situation. This man is fully responsible for his own death if the autopsy report doesn't show that he died from natural causes, unrelated to the car.
Either way, it is in no way the car's fault.
This was not a rental or a loan situation. This man is fully responsible for his own death if the autopsy report doesn't show that he died from natural causes, unrelated to the car.
Either way, it is in no way the car's fault.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 16,870
Likes: 5,326
From: T-Town WA
2016 C6 of Year Finalist
You would want a color that doesn't match the rest of the interior? I like the handle just the way it is. I'll never loan my Corvette to a friend, It will never be valet parked and in addition to my wanting a manual transmission after years of driving cars with automatic transmissions, I never have to worry about my grandchildren asking to drive it
I sure can't figure out why all of you badmouthing the C6 design don't just sell yours. If you can't see the handles the color they are or can't remember what they are for after reading the OM, maybe you shouldn't be driving.
I sure can't figure out why all of you badmouthing the C6 design don't just sell yours.
If you can't see the handles the color they are or can't remember what they are for after reading the OM, maybe you shouldn't be driving.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 760
Likes: 6
From: Georgetown Texas
You would want a color that doesn't match the rest of the interior? I like the handle just the way it is. I'll never loan my Corvette to a friend, It will never be valet parked and in addition to my wanting a manual transmission after years of driving cars with automatic transmissions, I never have to worry about my grandchildren asking to drive it
I sure can't figure out why all of you badmouthing the C6 design don't just sell yours. If you can't see the handles the color they are or can't remember what they are for after reading the OM, maybe you shouldn't be driving.
I sure can't figure out why all of you badmouthing the C6 design don't just sell yours.
If you can't see the handles the color they are or can't remember what they are for after reading the OM, maybe you shouldn't be driving.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 18,090
Likes: 1,574
I chose user error but that doesn't mean I don't think the handles couldn't have been made more obvious. It really isn't black and white IMO.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,106
Likes: 192
From: El Cajon Ca.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,017
Likes: 171
From: Vancouver Island
Like most polls, out of necessity it over-simplifies the question. I voted user error, but criticized the design. Also, as many have posted, we don't have all the facts. My battery has died once, it became too weak to crank the engine but all the lights and door buttons still worked. Those thing don't need a lot of amps. I have also had my fob blocked by my cell phone, and nothing in the car worked, and maybe something like that happened. Who knows, maybe the manual release didn't work, nothing on a car is 100% bullet-proof. I have seen posts on this forum by folks who could not get the manual hatch release to work (by using the key) on occasion. Who knows.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,218
Likes: 4,345
From: Chirper Island
Like most polls, out of necessity it over-simplifies the question. I voted user error, but criticized the design. Also, as many have posted, we don't have all the facts. My battery has died once, it became too weak to crank the engine but all the lights and door buttons still worked. Those thing don't need a lot of amps. I have also had my fob blocked by my cell phone, and nothing in the car worked, and maybe something like that happened. Who knows, maybe the manual release didn't work, nothing on a car is 100% bullet-proof. I have seen posts on this forum by folks who could not get the manual hatch release to work (by using the key) on occasion. Who knows.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 461
From: Southern Utah
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,017
Likes: 171
From: Vancouver Island
Okay, dumb post. Not my first one, and probably not my last one either. But my main points are: 1. we don't know all of what happened, and 2. I make no excuse for anyone who doesn't read the manual, but the design is fair game for criticism, nothing's perfect. We'll probably never know the full story as to what happened, wether an underlying medical condition such as heart disease or dementia was involved, or whether this unfortunate gentleman simply paid dearly for not knowing how to operate his vehicle safely.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,218
Likes: 4,345
From: Chirper Island
Okay, dumb post. Not my first one, and probably not my last one either. But my main points are: 1. we don't know all of what happened, and 2. I make no excuse for anyone who doesn't read the manual, but the design is fair game for criticism, nothing's perfect. We'll probably never know the full story as to what happened, wether an underlying medical condition such as heart disease or dementia was involved, or whether this unfortunate gentleman simply paid dearly for not knowing how to operate his vehicle safely.
Clearly, there was something going on beyond the basic understanding on how the several ways to exit the vehicle worked.
Will we as the consumer ever be informed? Maybe, maybe not.