Rear Door Alert Will Be Standard on All Four-Door Nissan Models by 2022

The team here at Hall Nissan Virginia Beach has always been proud to say Nissan models are some of the safest, family-friendly vehicles on the road, but with this latest announcement, they just got safer. Nissan will offer the innovative Rear Door Alert technology as a standard feature on all four-door Nissan models by 2022.

This recently-patented technology uses alerts to remind drivers and passengers to check the back seat for little passengers when exiting the vehicle. The vehicle uses distinctive honks and visual cues as alerts. Nissan is the first automaker to use a honking horn for this type of feature. The system was developed by two engineers, both of whom happened to be mothers. Marlene Mendoza and Elsa Foley, both mechanical engineers, presented the idea to Nissan, and the project got the green light for full development at Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA) in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Mendoza, a mother of three, said, "the idea was inspired when I accidentally left a pan of lasagna in the back seat of my car overnight. The worst thing was the car smelled for days, but it made me ask myself, 'What if I left something far more important back there?'" It’s not hard to imagine what could happen if an infant was left unattended in a hot car, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explains that temperatures can get dangerously hot very quickly; even if the outside temperature is in the mid-60s, the vehicle's interior can get up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

"If you open a rear door and put something in the rear seat, Rear Door Alert will help you remember when you get to your destination that you may have forgotten it," Mendoza said. "By drawing attention back to the vehicle while the driver is walking away, the honking alerts you to recheck the back seat in addition to visual or interior audible alerts." The Rear Door Alert (pictured below) can also be disabled if desired.

Nissan is already adding the Rear Door Alert feature to many four-door models like the Pathfinder. To see which models currently offer this feature, drop into the Hall Nissan Virginia Beach showroom or reach out to our sales staff online.

Image Credit: Nissan