bobbyd Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I heard about a Hyundai SUV sinking in the Colorado floods. The vehicle sank in 10 ft of water with a woman trapped inside. The windows would not open. Does Ford have any safety feature the allows an escape if power windows /doors fail to open. Similar to the trunk release feature? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 The weight of the water is what keeps the doors from opening. If you're worried about being trapped in a flood, carrying a crowbar in the passenger compartment with which to break the side glass is your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyd Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 The weight of the water is what keeps the doors from opening. If you're worried about being trapped in a flood, carrying a crowbar in the passenger compartment with which to break the side glass is your best bet. OK..check out this amazing story/miracle! Remember, the doors and windows were closed! Woman Drowning in her SUV is Miraculously Saved - Miracles Video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Mythbusters did a thing on this. They claimed that in most situations, the battery is still in tact long enough for the windows to be brought down. Once the cabin fills up with water, the doors will open. They recommended doing the windows as soon as the vehicle hits the water so that you know you have the windows down. With air in the cabin, the doors won't open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 The weight of the water is what keeps the doors from opening. If you're worried about being trapped in a flood, carrying a crowbar in the passenger compartment with which to break the side glass is your best bet. Make sure that crowbar is fastened nearby so you can find it once you make it to the water after all the bouncing and what-not and so it doesn't beat you in the head! Those small little devices made for cutting seatbelts and breaking glass would be a best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfeg Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Just use the tire thumper you keep under the drivers seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBFlex Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I heard about a Hyundai SUV sinking in the Colorado floods. The vehicle sank in 10 ft of water with a woman trapped inside. The windows would not open. Does Ford have any safety feature the allows an escape if power windows /doors fail to open. Similar to the trunk release feature? God I hope not. I know people here are advocates for building cars for the lowest skilled drivers that shouldn't be on the road...but if you keep your vehicle out of the water, you should be fine. If not, a vehicle does not sink fast, you have time. Break a window, stay calm, and do what you have to do to survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Mythbusters did a thing on this. They claimed that in most situations, the battery is still in tact long enough for the windows to be brought down. Once the cabin fills up with water, the doors will open. They recommended doing the windows as soon as the vehicle hits the water so that you know you have the windows down. With air in the cabin, the doors won't open. It's not so much the air in the cabin as it is the pressure differential, but, yeah, as soon as you equalize the pressure on both sides of the door, it'll open (assuming there's not some other problem holding it in place). I know someone who (and I am not teasing one little bit) kept shopping for a new car until he found one with manual crank windows just in case he got stuck in a flood. In that case, logic got its butt whipped by belief... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 It's not so much the air in the cabin as it is the pressure differential, but, yeah, as soon as you equalize the pressure on both sides of the door, it'll open (assuming there's not some other problem holding it in place). I know someone who (and I am not teasing one little bit) kept shopping for a new car until he found one with manual crank windows just in case he got stuck in a flood. In that case, logic got its butt whipped by belief... I hope he never really had to test that out... or did he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyd Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 (edited) It's not so much the air in the cabin as it is the pressure differential, but, yeah, as soon as you equalize the pressure on both sides of the door, it'll open (assuming there's not some other problem holding it in place). I know someone who (and I am not teasing one little bit) kept shopping for a new car until he found one with manual crank windows just in case he got stuck in a flood. In that case, logic got its butt whipped by belief... What about Ford offering a manual window crank override safety feature? It might manually pop out from the door panel. It would be an industry first! Possible? Since, in many cases the trapped occupants have time to act...doors won't open and power windows fail! Edited November 5, 2013 by bobbyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 What about Ford offering a manual window crank override safety feature? It might manually pop out from the door panel. It would be an industry first! Possible? Since, in many cases the trapped occupants have time to act...doors won't open and power windows fail! Ford could also add wings, just in case your car goes off a cliff! You just push a button, out pops the wings, and you glide to the ground safely! Seriously, if someone is that worried about driving in the water that they feel they need a manual crank override for their windows, they probably shouldn't be driving. You're much more likely to be killed in many other types of crashes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Power windows don't fail immediately. You have time to roll down the window. Either way once the inside fills with water the pressure is equalized and you can open the door. But I do like the wings - that could come in handy in rush hour traffic..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 What about Ford offering a manual window crank override safety feature? It might manually pop out from the door panel. It would be an industry first! Possible? Since, in many cases the trapped occupants have time to act...doors won't open and power windows fail! They might be able to do it, but there's very little upside, and a whole lot of downside (you're adding mechanical complexity, which adds cost and something else to fail). As akirby noted, the power windows don't fail immediately, and if you let the water get above the glass, it doesn't matter--you can't generate enough torque to overcome the force of the water pressing in on the glass. They'd be better off throwing in one of those seat belt cutter/glass breaker tools; it would certainly be a hell of a lot cheaper than designing and building in a manual crank override. And that's not even considering the fact that most people are not exactly thinking clearly in such situations, and are unlikely to remember that there's an override crank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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