Important safety technology now in more Nissan models
Nissan is now offering its Rear Door Alert (RDA) technology on 12 models and is expected to be available on all four-door trucks, sedans and SUVs by 2022. Designed to help reduce risks posed by dangerous interior car temperatures, this technology was invented by a pair of Nissan engineers who are also mothers. RDA was inspired by pan of lasagna accidentally left in the back seat of a car overnight.
Marlene Mendoza, one of the inventing engineers and a mother of three, was pregnant when the idea struck. “[After the lasagna incident] the car smelled for days, but it made me ask myself, ‘What if I left something far more important back there?'”
Rear Door Alert reminds owners to check the rear seat upon exiting their vehicle by using a series of distinctive honks as the driver walks away from the vehicle. Nissan is the first automaker to use a honking horn as an alert for this type of feature.
The system uses door sequence logic, the center instrument panel message display and multiple horn honks to help remind drivers to check the rear seat after the vehicle is parked. The system can help remind parents and caregivers that precious cargo is in the back seat.
RDA expansion
For model year 2020, RDA is standard on the Nissan Altima, Armada, Kicks (SV and SR), LEAF, Murano, Maxima, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, TITAN (King Cab and Crew Cab) and Versa (SV and SR).
In 2019, Nissan joined other vehicle manufacturers in a pledge to have a rear seat reminder feature in essentially all cars and trucks by model year 2025 or sooner. Under this commitment, automakers will introduce a wide range of approaches to help parents and caregivers remember to check the back seat as they leave a vehicle.
How RDA works
Once activated, the system monitors when a rear door is opened and closed before and after the vehicle is in motion. If a rear door was used before a trip but was not opened after the vehicle is parked, the system reminds the driver to check the rear seat. Once the vehicle is in park, the system will first display a notification in the instrument panel. If the driver exits the vehicle and does not open a rear door, the system progresses to distinctive chirps of the horn.
The RDA system is easy to configure and can be temporarily, or permanently, turned on through a menu in the cluster display or through a separate RDA switch, depending on the model.
To learn more about Rear Door Alert and the full Nissan vehicle lineup, visit here.
