SLpat

I just noticed that my car automatically shifts into park when it is stopped and you open the drivers door. Not a huge issue, but because I can be lazy in the morning and when my newspaper is on the left side of the driveway I open the door and I back by and reach out and grab it. In my other cars it always worked fine. In my E550 the transmission moves to park.

I looked at the manual and it said it will go from neutral to park with the drivers door open and I assume this I just can't find it.

Anyone else have this? I wonder why they set up that way?

Now I will have to take a walk down the driveway for the paper and get some exercise in the morning.

El Cid

It's a safety process and my 2010 does it also. In addition, when I turn off the car, it automatically shifts to neutral, then to park if I open the door.
However, as a matter of safety, I never open the door until the car is in park.

YYZ-E55

Just don't open the door while you're slowly moving (like when you're backing up and you want to take a look at the curb)... doing so is rather, um, jarring!

Arrie

This is strange. I had the 2011 E350 and now drive 2010 E550. Both these cars allow me to drive with the door open. Both go automatically on P only when I turn the engine OFF and open the door but as long as the engine runs I can maneuver the car with the door open. Very useful sometimes in a parking garage to look at the parking spot markers.

thefisch

I think that behavior is linked to the keyless go package from what I have read. If you take car to auto car wash, you need to remove start button and insert key to avoid auto shift to park.

Bigglen1

If you leave your car running while going through the car wash, you can engage neutual and it will stay that way. Keyless or not.

Bigglen1

Yeah but I think when it puts you in park after opening the door, you can then manually shift it back into gear with the door still open.

SLpat

I get the safety part.

I also read the part about the car going into park from neutral when the door opens. I did wonder how that would work at a car wash since I have the keyless go. I didn't know that the start button came out.

Good information to know and why I like this forum.

threeMBs

Well I have/had two 2010s, a 2012 and now onto my third 2014 - they all work(ed) identical: if driving even slowly and then opening the driver's door, car will always jerk because it would shift to park; the only way to dive (slowly) with the driver's door open is to open the driver's door first while transmission is still in park then and only then shift to drive/reverse. I also always used it as a handy "parking" tool.

RobbieRob

This might be part of the reason, remember this video...lol

thefisch

Sorry I should have clarified that this is for when you are not in the car when it is running through the wash. At my local car wash, staff vacuum and then send it through the wash themselves. Hence the issue when they open the door to get out.

Arrie

In my car I can open the door while driving and it does not go in P. I get a warning in the red cluster saying "Door open, Vehicle not in P".

It only goes in P automatically if the engine is off and I open the door and that is how it should be in all cars in my opinion.

As both my cars worked the same way I'm sure this can be set in the car's computer. It is just a question if the dealer service would do it.

This is so severe issue in my opinion that if I was buying another MB I would not buy it if it was not set to allow driving with the door open.

YYZ-E55

It was a running change, I believe in either 2011 or 2012 they added the shift-to-park feature when the door is opened at speeds below approx 10 km/h.

SLpat

I gave it another try when I got home and if I put the car in neutral and open the drivers door the speedometer cluster turns red and says the door is open and the car isn't in park.

I can deal with the drive to park change, but I am glad to know I can put the car into neutral for a car wash.

BenzV12

My car no longer shifts into P when I open any door besides aforementioned driver's door unless I activate HOLD and open the door
I will notify the dealer about this when I visit them for my annual maintenance .May be DAS,STAR get it activated
Not a big deal but niggling lol