There’s a solid point and safety concern hiding underneath the frustration online creator Brí_Guy (@bri.guy_ft8) shares in a recent TikTok clip recorded from behind the steering wheel of a Ford Lincoln vehicle.
Brí starts the clip, which has more than 275,000 views, asking somewhat rhetorically why the vehicle’s air vents don’t move manually. Rather than moving the air flow via a hand dial as had been standard for the better part of a century, he shows us that he has to use the car’s digital navigation and media panel to manipulate the various air vents.
Brí brings up a solid point when he notes that it takes several seconds of focus and concentration to move through the digital menus and then guess what vent position will be most optimal. And if you guess wrong, then it’s time to repeat the process all over again.
“You need to just almost guess where the wind is going to blow based on where you put your finger. The worst part is that if you’re driving and you need to change a setting, and let’s say I need to change it to defroaster or something, if I take too long because I’m focused on driving, disappears. I have to go back and waste more time and focus,” he said.
The part about trying to adjust things while on the road is most concerning since at any kind of speed if your focus comes off the road for more than a second or two there’s a substantial risk of causing or being the victim of an auto accident.
Why would Ford make the Lincoln air vents digital?
There are some decent use cases for adding climate control to the car features included on the digital display. On one hand, this has benefits. You can adjust all the vents in the vehicle without leaning over into the rear compartment to make everyone comfortable.
But why not keep some kind of manual adjustment option in place to let drivers and passengers retain some kind of autonomy of their own? Plus, what if the control panel malfunctions? Then you could wind up in a vehicle that’s either freezing or sweltering.
Advances in what’s possible with digital technology are certainly promising but in cases like these it does seem like things are going a little too far. It calls to mind the timeless Jurassic Park quote when Jeff Goldblum, as scientist Ian Malcom, chastizes the genetic advancements that resulted in an island full of hungry dinosaurs: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
Or, as Brí asks somewhat heatedly, “Why do car companies refuse to just use buttons or a dial for a simple process?”
Ford defends its digital vents
For what it’s worth, Ford’s online messaging about the Digital Experience capabilities in Lincoln vehicles addresses this. “Supportive information like media, weather and fuel economy can be seen with a quick glance via widgets on the right side of the display. This helps drivers keep their eyes up and out to look at the road ahead, while providing the custom information they desire.
Establishing profiles enables each driver to set preferences to appear when entering the vehicle. These include apps, contacts, and favorite destinations, plus customized seating, steering wheel and mirror positions.”
Drivers aren’t buying it
Commenters on the clip were heavily in support of Brí.
“making a digital vent control is actually insane,” one of them said succinctly.
Another noted the satisfaction of knowing where the right spot is for the fans. “Thats why I like buttons. don’t gotta even look, I can feel it. muscle memory,” the commenter wrote.
And another says it’s possible economics play into the move to centralize everything on one control panel. It’s unclear how true this is.
@bri.guy_ft86 #Lincoln #Ford #technology #NewCarsSuck ♬ original sound – Brí_Guy
“apparently they took away buttons cuz it’s way cheaper to make a touch screen for everything instead of numerous buttons,” they said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brí via direct message, and to Ford via email.
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