Keyless entry, Kick under bumper, Mercedes refuse to inform me how to operate my car safely.

[ShaunB]

I suppose with yours being an estate car, it is more easy to get a whack than with the saloon.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Our 9 year old Volvo does. If it senses any resistance, it lifts the tailgate back up.
I'll be surprised if Mercedes don't have that safety feature.

Edit. Reading the above posts, it seems they don't.

If you're considering taking this down a legal route, I'd suggest keeping the video away from t'internet just now. Might come in handy later on though of course.

...and I would also consider the fact that the OP will probably loose the case, (or the will to live) as MB corporate grinds into motion and does all it can to slow proceedings down or bankrupt the OP...

 

[Petrol Pete]

I was loading something in the boot of my car on the drive one morning and there was a "bong" and the bootlid started to close. I was somewhat puzzled as to why, but then saw next door's cat amble out from under the car...

Was that primary or secondary cat delete...?

I'll get my coat..........

 

[st13phil]

If it were in the workplace it would be illegal. End of. It would not pass even the most basic safety check.

That's my take on it. It manages to create both a crush hazard and a shear hazard. The only potential saving grace is that the speed of movement is slow.

 

[Petrol Pete]

That's my take on it. It manages to create both a crush hazard and a shear hazard. The only potential saving grace is that the speed of movement is slow.

That's my take on it. It manages to create both a crush hazard and a shear hazard. The only potential saving grace is that the speed of movement is slow.

The shear hazard sounds the worst to me.Lets assume the OP was hit on the noggin by the bottom edge of the door, his head as far as is possible from the hinge there by him exerting maximum pressure at the end of the 'lever'... and it did not stop, that would mean the 'cutting' power at the top of the door near the hinge (pivot point of the lever) would have been massive..

 

[BTB 500]

But in the video the tailgate did stop?

 

[ph47mf]

hopefully you can view the video and

Id say it was dangerous yes, 2 black eyes for 3 weeks, and still scarring 6 weeks later from the cut would also agree.
What if it was a child?

i hope you get a positive result from Merc and a speedy recovery.

however that footage doesn't do you any favours, you swiped your foot underneath the bumper, the door did its thing and auto shut, it sensed something was in the way, stopped and retracted, it did what it was designed to do, it's not faulty and it didn't just close on you for no reason. it's a bit like me opening my bedroom door too hard by mistake and it swing back and hit me in the face and I try to sue the door company for failing to tell me how to use the door properly.

 

[GeeJayW]

I think the main risk of injury is from the lock mechanism protruding from the bottom edge colliding with one's bonce!
Life threatening? Nope.
Bloody annoying, a bit painful and maybe leaves a visible scar if you happen to be bald? Reckon so.
Would I (even attempt to) sue Mercedes for a bonk on the head? Not on your life, but I would reserve the right to be a bit p!ssed off about though.

 

[tangey]

But in the video the tailgate did stop?

It did indeed.

It looks to me that the injury was primarily caused by the OP moving his head/upper body into what 2 seconds earlier was empty space, but was now the bottom part of the tailgate. I guess there was a short period of time when contact was made where the tailgate was still moving downwards, before it react and moving upwards. It's not that it didn't stop, it's that is was in a place that the OP did not expect it to be, because it wasn't there a moment earlier.

I certainly have had my (GLC) tailgate close down whilst working around the rear of the car and thought "bugger me that's a bit off" but I wasn't doing a constant back and forth like the OP was and there was never a coming together.

Was the video made available to Merc ?

 

[st13phil]

It's not that it didn't stop, it's that is was in a place that the OP did not expect it to be, because it wasn't there a moment earlier.

That, to me, is the nub of it.

 

[Flackadder]

Why did the boot not stop instantly on detection of obstacle in its path. My boot makes and annoying beeping when closing. Ok, it is not keyless, but even so...should stop before ' shut on my face causing considerable damage'.

 

[Rory]

Why did the boot not stop instantly on detection of obstacle in its path.

It did, but as tangey pointed out a couple of posts up, the OP moved his head into the door at the same time.

I still find it odd that the door will close while you're in range of being hit, but won't open unless you step back.

 

[Bellow]

It did, but as tangey pointed out a couple of posts up, the OP moved his head into the door at the same time.

Door stopped when it encountered OP's head - admittedly by the OP turning into it as it descended.

I still find it odd that the door will close while you're in range of being hit, but won't open unless you step back.

Could this be a provision to permit the door to be partially closed with a long load protruding from the boot? Unless there's another way of asking the door to close though, you'd need the suppleness of a limbo dancer to get it closed.

FWIW I've had similar happen to me with a split tailgate and dodgy gas strut. Open the glass expecting to go full height. Turn back toward the car to load it to find the glass at half height and head butt it. Twice (separate occasions - it didn't concuss me into forgetting it was at half height). Not nice!

 

[tangey]

It did, but as tangey pointed out a couple of posts up, the OP moved his head into the door at the same time.

I still find it odd that the door will close while you're in range of being hit, but won't open unless you step back.

THat is not how it (at least on my GLC) works. I Stand, kick foot in and back out again, but do not move back. Tailgate opens. In fact I think you could (if you were entirely stupid) stand close enough to activate it and it hit you on the chin as it came up. I'll double check later, without the "entirely stupid" bit.

 

[CaptainChaos]

Frustrating to watch as I've had my car three years and I can never get the correct movement for it to work, where as this chap does a casual leg flick at 11 seconds and away it goes.

 

[fourwheels]

Well,, there are sensors on the powered boot lid to stop in closing if it meets an obstruction but I can't work out where they are.
Whether I close it by waving a boot, or pressing buttons, it will stop if it thinks even a sometimes empty shopping back is an obstruction.
So where are the sensors located, any ideas?

 

[wivenhoe]

Frustrating to watch as I've had my car three years and I can never get the correct movement for it to work, where as this chap does a casual leg flick at 11 seconds and away it goes.

Not wishing to make light of getting hit, I’ll show the video to the wife as she cannot ever get the ‘kick’ to work and so looks really stupid at the supermarket when she tries and absolutely nothing happens

 

[chrisk2010]

Sorry OP that vid did look painful. Wouldn't an RFID blocker wallet/pouch thingy block the signal?

I can't get my head around the need to wave your foot to close, wave to open yes. As you approach the car with shopping or what have you but it would be handy why would Merc do a wave to close.

Once all is loaded though wouldn't it be better to press a button to close as you would be standing at the end of the tailgate and made a concious decision to close it? Standing under a close tailgate having to wave your foot seems like a bad idea in any scenario.

I don't have any of these features so i'm probably missing something here.

 

[renault12ts]

Sorry OP that vid did look painful. Wouldn't an RFID blocker wallet/pouch thingy block the signal?

I can't get my head around the need to wave your foot to close, wave to open yes. As you approach the car with shopping or what have you but it would be handy why would Merc do a wave to close.

Once all is loaded though wouldn't it be better to press a button to close as you would be standing at the end of the tailgate and made a concious decision to close it? Standing under a close tailgate having to wave your foot seems like a bad idea in any scenario.

I don't have any of these features so i'm probably missing something here.

I suppose if you were unloading the car and had your hands full it would be useful to close the door with your foot?

 

[tangey]

Well,, there are sensors on the powered boot lid to stop in closing if it meets an obstruction but I can't work out where they are.
Whether I close it by waving a boot, or pressing buttons, it will stop if it thinks even a sometimes empty shopping back is an obstruction.
So where are the sensors located, any ideas?

My understanding (which may well be wrong) is that it is basically an over-current detector that detects the motor drawing more current than it should do, due to the obstacle. I think there is also a detection that it hasn't latched correctly when in the full down position, as a plastic bag over the metal latch on the boot floor will also trigger it.