Is it that hard?

[scratch]

I have had several close calls with the Shift Inhibitor, I needed to back fast in an emergency situation and the transmission doesn't go in gear. Its been on my P-700, its not a new feature to the newer P-800s.

 

[Brownslave688]

The shift inhibitor is a huge annoyance and a big safety hazard which ironically is there for "safety". You may find yourself needing to move quickly out of incoming traffic and now you're inhibited because God forbid you didn't have the brake fully depressed during the whole shift. Now you have to put it back in park and try again while traffic is moving. Totally ridiculous. It gets better once you're used to it but it wastes time. With the older trucks you can shift quickly and drive will engage even when your foot comes off the brake in the process.

It's funny we spend all of our careers being taught go fast. I sit down start it put the seatbelt on and I'm ready to roll. With the shift inhibit I have to sit and wait a few seconds for it to idle down and make sure everything is just right before I put it into drive.

 

[barnyard]

Eventually, the 'check trans' light is going to go off on your new cars. When that happens, it goes into limp mode, idle only, time for a tow. It got so bad that the boss bought a small stack of 9/16th wrenches for the problem cars so that when the light comes on, shut it down, disconnect the battery, sit for 2 minutes, reconnect and go on your way.

So far, the most I have reset the trans computer in 1 day is 4.

 

[Brownslave688]

I have had several close calls with the Shift Inhibitor, I needed to back fast in an emergency situation and the transmission doesn't go in gear. Its been on my P-700, its not a new feature to the newer P-800s.

It's much worse on the 800 than any other vehicle I've been in with it.

 

[Bottom rung]

How about how you can't see the signals on the dash or the speed half the time because the steering wheel blocks them. How about the electronic throttle bodies...limp mode at least once a day.

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[JL 0513]

I would just like to know what Freightliner was thinking with the shift inhibitor. They couldn't realize that this will likely cause accidents?

 

[scooby0048]

Eventually, the 'check trans' light is going to go off on your new cars. When that happens, it goes into limp mode, idle only, time for a tow. It got so bad that the boss bought a small stack of 9/16th wrenches for the problem cars so that when the light comes on, shut it down, disconnect the battery, sit for 2 minutes, reconnect and go on your way. So far, the most I have reset the trans computer in 1 day is 4.

Had that happen just today but it didn't go into limp mode. I don't know what parts of the country everyone is in but here they have 80 mph speed limits and the damn truck won't even go faster than 66mph. I almost got rear ended by a semi because of this.

I know that the company orders them with the governor on them because some states the speed limits are lower but c'mon, 66mph? Isn't there a program the mechanics can use to flash the ECM of the car to up the speeds to at least the prevailing speed limit of that particular state.

 

[toonertoo]

Had that happen just today but it didn't go into limp mode. I don't know what parts of the country everyone is in but here they have 80 mph speed limits and the damn truck won't even go faster than 66mph. I almost got rear ended by a semi because of this.

I know that the company orders them with the governor on them because some states the speed limits are lower but c'mon, 66mph? Isn't there a program the mechanics can use to flash the ECM of the car to up the speeds to at least the prevailing speed limit of that particular state.

The one I was driving didnt need a governor, 35 mph was its top speed, and it huffed, and chugged to get to that.

 

[scooby0048]

The one I was driving didnt need a governor, 35 mph was its top speed, and it huffed, and chugged to get to that.

A gazillion dollar company and those kinds of problems are the norm. We have one that bogs down to 35-45mph on the highway when there is a hill, and yet downshifting won't even help. You know how many fingers and yells I've gotten because of that truck...oh well flashers on and a friendly wave when they all pass me cursing me out!

 

[TooTechie]

The shift inhibitor is a huge annoyance and a big safety hazard which ironically is there for "safety".

Nope. It's there to save Big Brown $$$ in damage to transmissions.

Its been on my P-700, its not a new feature to the newer P-800s.

Right, but it's not the same. The new breed of Freightliners is way more sensitive/picky.

 

[tapatio75]

Try to open the bulk door with the fob after you press it twice and the back door unlocks, then you have to wait a few seconds before you can try again, how is that helping us?


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[MethodsMan]

Shift Inhibit.....Shift Inhibit.....Shift Inhibit

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

What exactly do you know about the Federal Way incident? Was it a brake failure, or a failure in the keyless ignition, or what?

The big deal is that the blaring alarm was doing exactly as it was supposed to do and kept automotive from being on the hook for the accident. The failure was the poor judgment of the center making the driver press on when the hydroboost relay had failed. Hence the alarm and subsequent ear plugs seen in the picture. When the engine failed to fire up at the first attempt with the keyless, there was effectively no brakes and the vehicle began to roll. Driver panicked and could not recycle the keyless in time. It's been a long time since the incident, but this was my recollection of how things transpired how they did. The alarm is there for a good reason.
The keyless worked exactly as it was designed.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I moved one the other night doing Carwash. Brand new - less than 20k on the clock - and the damn thing sounded like a 1972 Ford Maverick that was in terrible need of a tune-up.

Many of the new Freightliners have arrived with the exhaust manifold bolts not tight. ALL of them are shedding the heat shields on the head pipes. Makes a loud buzz. Starts happening at 5k or less.

 

[hondo]

The big deal is that the blaring alarm was doing exactly as it was supposed to do and kept automotive from being on the hook for the accident. The failure was the poor judgment of the center making the driver press on when the hydroboost relay had failed. Hence the alarm and subsequent ear plugs seen in the picture. When the engine failed to fire up at the first attempt with the keyless, there was effectively no brakes and the vehicle began to roll. Driver panicked and could not recycle the keyless in time. It's been a long time since the incident, but this was my recollection of how things transpired how they did. The alarm is there for a good reason.
The keyless worked exactly as it was designed.

That's exactly my take on it, especially since it was pointed out by someone that it was most likely equipped with front disc brakes. There's a reason power brake assist became basically standard equipment when disc brakes became the norm.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I would just like to know what Freightliner was thinking with the shift inhibitor. They couldn't realize that this will likely cause accidents?

Not really Freightliner's thing. Allison supplies the TCM and calibration.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Isn't there a program the mechanics can use to flash the ECM of the car to up the speeds to at least the prevailing speed limit of that particular state.

No.

 

[Wally]

I took a 6" wide strip of cardboard, spray-painted it black, and taped it to the top of the dash so that it sticks out over the top and makes a "hood" that prevents the lights from reflecting on the windshield.

Good fix, but for what we shell out for these trucks, these things shouldn't be necessary.

Why not ask drivers what they need in a truck morons?

 

[JL 0513]

Too bad Toyota doesn't build them, they'd be trouble free for 100's of thousands of miles and be free of annoyances.

 

[soberups]

The big deal is that the blaring alarm was doing exactly as it was supposed to do and kept automotive from being on the hook for the accident. The failure was the poor judgment of the center making the driver press on when the hydroboost relay had failed. Hence the alarm and subsequent ear plugs seen in the picture. When the engine failed to fire up at the first attempt with the keyless, there was effectively no brakes and the vehicle began to roll. Driver panicked and could not recycle the keyless in time. It's been a long time since the incident, but this was my recollection of how things transpired how they did. The alarm is there for a good reason.
The keyless worked exactly as it was designed.

This is the first time I have heard an explanation for what actually happened, and it makes sense.

The keyless may not have malfunctioned, but having to try and cycle through it under stress during a rollaway made an already bad situation even worse. The car in question looks to be an 80's vintage GMC with manual steering, a 4.3l V6 engine and a 4 speed stick shift. The driver would have been better off having a key in the ignition switch, it would have been easier to get the car restarted that way. Had he not panicked, he also could have stopped it by double-clutching and jamming the stick into first gear or reverse. My guess is that he tried the park brake but it was probably too loose to stop the car. I don't know why the company spent the money installing keyless ignition in a dinosaur that was 2 years away from the scrap heap anyway.