Well this was tested for the first time today.... My 10 year old loves opening and closing the tailgate. She did it this morning but as it was closing noticed her coat was hanging out so stepped back under the door to move it.

 

It hit her on the back of the head and stopped closing ... She said she was OK. Luckily I don't think it was the inside plastic of the door that hit her rather than the metal edge...

 

 

Sounds like the edge needs sharpening then......

Seriously though, it is good to know it worked properly. That tailgate is pretty heavy and could possibly do some damage if the anti-foul system wasn't fitted.

Did someone else test this safety feature. I tried to stop estate boot closing at local dealer shop but it wouldn't stop. I used some force but not that much as I didn't want to break something. I would say my 6 yr old son would not be able to stop it.

I reverse up to my (low) wall every night and on more than one occasion if I park very close the hatch with then detected me whilst closing and reopen.

I needed to open the back whilst I had some long timber on the roof bars. As the tailgate opened to near horizontal I just leaned on it to stop it - which it did without any drama. Got out what I needed then gave it a downward push to close - which again it did as expected.

 

Not tried stopping it in the downward direction but if the stopping force is similar I can't see a problem.

Theres a video of a press car where the boot fails to stop under pressure... if it would of been a small child it could of crushed them.

FOUND IT -

 

17mins 40 seconds onwards.

 

If a child was under the tailgate on this car, they could of been crushed.. you can see the reaction of the presenter and the force after he reviewed his arm.

 

Link to section in video

https://youtu.be/Ky793NS2gEQ?t=1051

 

 

 

 

Hopefully they fixed this flaw.

Edited 3 April, 201610 yr by RickTT

Out of curiosity I've just been out with a loop of rope and some luggage scales - the type you dangle a suitcase from to see what it weighs.

 

To stop the tailgate on my estate the force was about the same opening or closing - 19kg. I put the rope round the wiper base and ran it over the edge of the door for opening and around the latch bulge for closing so both were measured at the extreme edge of the door.

Edited 3 April, 201610 yr by RobertP

Out of curiosity I've just been out with a loop of rope and some luggage scales - the type you dangle a suitcase from to see what it weighs.

 

To stop the tailgate on my estate the force was about the same opening or closing - 19kg. I put the rope round the wiper base and ran it over the edge of the door for opening and around the latch bulge for closing so both were measured at the extreme edge of the door.

 

You saying that in order for the tailgate to stop as a safety blockage, the pressure of object needs to weight 19kg ?

 

So if the door was closing and a toddler was in the way it could cause some serious damage then.

Can we get measurement from some other brand of estate car? Can any forum membere here help. I don't have electric tailgate on my trusty s2 so I can't measure but I'm starting to worry.

Can we get measurement from some other brand of estate car? Can any forum membere here help. I don't have electric tailgate on my trusty s2 so I can't measure but I'm starting to worry.

On a 5 series, any sort of pressure will halt it.

Has tried using a water melon (similar size to a childs head) to see what damage a closing electric tail gate would do?

Has tried using a water melon (similar size to a childs head) to see what damage a closing electric tail gate would do?

Please post YouTube link if anyone does this!!!!!

Maybe I am missig something here, but if you ensure no-one is standing within the area of the electronic tailgate when it is in operation, then no-one will get their head caved in. 

 

That someone allows their child to open and close the electronic tailgate and the child subsequently suffers an injury by placing themselves within the closing area of the tailgate, would be down to a lack of supervision by that person, and that the child was not responsible enough to appreciate the danger the tailgate posed to them.

 

The fact the tailgate is electronic does not negate the responsibility of the vehicles owner/supervising adults responsibility of ensuring the safety of any child/person in the vicinity of the vehicle.

 

As difficult as my statement may be to some of you, what other conclusion could any investigation to the above incident come up with?

Kids gets the keys.. Kid plays with keys.. Kid opens tailgate.. Kid closes tailgate.

Owner sits on keys.. (many reports of Windows dropping because of that)

Fully understand the point of supervision, however there needs to be prevention measures in place. Just like there is for electric Windows..

If you used your logic the same for electric windows then the anti trap feature would be disabled for all cars and the responsibility passed onto someone else who should of prevented it happening..... The owner, ?

There has to be proactive measures in place to minimise risk.

Just like pedestrian airbags... Could just say it's their own fault for not looking Or an adults fault .....

Edited 4 April, 201610 yr by RickTT

Perhaps the rear PDC could activate when the electronic tailgate is operated, and if it detects something within its operating arc, it cuts out?

Much quicker, and less painful than detecting someone's head!

Ehm, no. Kids don't get the keys. It's not a toy. The car is not to blame here - the parrent is.

Ehm, no. Kids don't get the keys. It's not a toy. The car is not to blame here - the parrent is.

Get real.

Someone needs to test it really to confirm how it reacts.

As soon as you automate a process you need to implement precaution and the example in the video above does not look postive.

Edited 4 April, 201610 yr by RickTT

Fully understand the point of supervision, however there needs to be prevention measures in place. Just like there is for electric Windows..

Exactly the same system is employed for both windows and the tailgate - if it senses an obstruction it stops. What I think people are suggesting is that the threshold is too high. I must admit I haven't tested it on mine yet so have no idea what force it requires. My two kids arent allowed anywhere near it when opening and closing, but I am apparently overprotective

The manual suggests that the tailgate won't open if there is a heavy snowfall so there's a balance in what level they program it to stop on; too low a threshold and the boot wouldn't open if there was something on the parcel shelf or a heavy rainfall on the deck lid.

Think I'll test mine (hatch) today and report back

Cool.. The video above just looks very forceful in closure.

Get real.

Someone needs to test it really to confirm how it reacts.

As soon as you automate a process you need to implement precaution and the example in the video above does not look postive.

I AM real. You decide how you raise your kids, and I´ll do the same with my kids. And at my house car keys, phones, remotes etc. is not a toy, and not for children to be played with. And there IS a built-in precaution in the electric tailgate, just as for the windows.

Maybe I am missig something here, but if you ensure no-one is standing within the area of the electronic tailgate when it is in operation, then no-one will get their head caved in. 

 

That someone allows their child to open and close the electronic tailgate and the child subsequently suffers an injury by placing themselves within the closing area of the tailgate, would be down to a lack of supervision by that person, and that the child was not responsible enough to appreciate the danger the tailgate posed to them.

 

The fact the tailgate is electronic does not negate the responsibility of the vehicles owner/supervising adults responsibility of ensuring the safety of any child/person in the vicinity of the vehicle.

 

As difficult as my statement may be to some of you, what other conclusion could any investigation to the above incident come up with?

 

I have to agree with you Fin69, the driver is responsible for the actions of all the occupants of the vehicle and the operation of that vehicle as far as I'm concerned.

I AM real. You decide how you raise your kids, and I´ll do the same with my kids. And at my house car keys, phones, remotes etc. is not a toy, and not for children to be played with. And there IS a built-in precaution in the electric tailgate, just as for the windows.

You must live in a world of zero accidents then Mr Perfect Parent. Its not a case of how to raise kids.. Its a case of that split second when things don't go to plan.

The built in precaution as detailed in the video above does not look ideal on the closure of the tailgate. It looks like the threshold is set far too high.

Do you think that is acceptable on the closure of the door ?

I find it hard to believe that if any injury was to occur because of a forceful closing door you would accept it as parent error.

Of course.. This may if been tweaked now as the video was on a press car, but as demonstrated in the video the door should of stopped with the pressure which was applied.

Then... It leads onto the VCDS coding of closing the tailgate from inside the car....

I have to agree with you Fin69, the driver is responsible for the actions of all the occupants of the vehicle and the operation of that vehicle as far as I'm concerned.

Yes.. But the point here is that as detailed in the video, the system does trigger a stop closing command on the point of forceful blocksge when other car manufactures do.

Its simply not clever.

Edited 4 April, 201610 yr by RickTT

Surely this is why the tailgate has to be closed from the outside of the car as a safety measure.

Edited 4 April, 201610 yr by philpix