Should my console gear selector illuminate at night? 2020 Lariat

[AzScorpion]

So, 2019 Lariat has console shift lit up, but does not show what gear it's in. is this normal?

Yes it's normal. If you push the + button once on the side of the shifter you'll see the numbers (gears) on the lower right side on the main dash cluster.

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[FoD]

To be clear, it never lit up what gear you were in. That shows up on the dash. So the only reason to need the letters next to the lever to light up is if you're driving it for the very first time, and it happens to be dark, so you don't know that your 2020 car has a PRND shift pattern and you haven't time warped into the 50's when it was still legal to have PNDR or anything other than PRND.

or it looked like this:

 

[LightingBlue]

or it looked like this:

To be clear, it never lit up what gear you were in. That shows up on the dash. So the only reason to need the letters next to the lever to light up is if you're driving it for the very first time, and it happens to be dark, so you don't know that your 2020 car has a PRND shift pattern and you haven't time warped into the 50's when it was still legal to have PNDR or anything other than PRND.

Just to clarify, that's a 1963 Ford Thunderbird which came with the infamous Cruise-o-matic FMX transmission. You would want to drive that in normal conditions in the "white dot" gear which actually started in 2nd gear. Alternatively, if transmission life was not a concern, you could daily drive in the green dot which would start in 1st gear and proceed through all 3 forward gears for operation. That being said, the final drive on those were so bad that you lost so many revs between 1 and 2, that it would essentially grenade the transmission in a few years of gentle use. "L" would start the car in 1st gear but locked out 3rd gear so it had to be avoided if you planned on going over about 45 mph.

You're probably better off using the 1961-1962 Thunderbird detent as your example as it clearly listed the drive options, assuming you understood the transmission design.

Ironically, neither '63 or the '61-'62 are a great choice as the detent plate easily wore out causing the selection bar to sit half way between gears with little to no feedback so you genuinely had no clue what gear you were in without observing it very closely and being VERY careful when driving not to bump the shifter stalk as you could easily go from D into R at speed.

I'll leave all mentions of the "swing-Away" steering wheel which was yet another detent to the left of Park (no visible markings on any year) which allowed the steering wheel to shift about 6" to the right, thus allowing pregnant women behind the wheel easier. Both images show the vanity panel which covers that operation. It was a high take-rate option in '61 and standard in '62-'63.

Anyway, where I was going with this is that your characterization is completely off regarding 1950's cars as there was a vast array of gear selector options by manufacturer or make as vehicles were slowly becoming more streamlined and individual randomization was engineered out of cars by the early 60's and mostly standardized by the mid 70's.

Examples of such strange configurations in the 1950's:

 

[FoD]

 

[VAMike]

Anyway, where I was going with this is that your characterization is completely off regarding 1950's cars as there was a vast array of gear selector options by manufacturer or make as vehicles were slowly becoming more streamlined and individual randomization was engineered out of cars by the early 60's and mostly standardized by the mid 70's.

That was exactly my point: in the 50s the shifters were all different so having the functions highly visible would be a great addition. Since 1968 the federal standard has been PRND so not having a lighted legend these days is not a big deal.

 

[Sammyboy808]

Hi John,

Your experience is limited. I can speak to Mazda and they had their version of the Ranger in the Mazda version...they were always on deleting options etc to save cost. Can't speak for Sabaru, but we were aware of Toyota, GM, Chrysler, Honda of similar take away. That is one reason I bought a 2019 Ranger...no cost reductions.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Subaru already has sub-par interiors for the most part. They don't try to be a luxury competitor regardless of trim, and I'm sure you along with many on this forum have noticed, Subaru doesn't really "try". They've openly admitted to being proud of the technologies in their cars, and keeping costs down elsewhere (such as minute details some of us like to point out) to mitigate for the cost of the tech. I could argue their tech is a little dated in trend, but their AWD system is still top of its game, and I was a big WRC Subaru fan growing up, but other than that, I love my Ranger, along with any and all its shortcomings.

 

[daddy let me drive]

I didn't bump this older topic to the top of the list. Someone else did. I got up early, made a cup of coffee, and logged into ranger5g...and there at the top was a headline that interested me.

I didn't even have to "search" for it.

my 2021 XL FX4 doesn't have console shifter backlight. I noticed it the first time I cranked the truck in the dark. My instinct was to look down at the shifter, where my hand was actually doing something...not up at the center cluster.

I might have eventually brought this up myself in my own discussion topic. It's just an observation from someone who switches to an unfamiliar vehicle...not complaint.

ok, to put this to rest and solve the real world problem of this...how many of us are so inept that we .... and literally holding our hand like our mom used to do???

I like that ranger pride fella. He reminds me of me. Sooner or later we're going to agree on something. Even though he doesn't like me...I'm gonna give him another "like". ?

 

[Sanford & Son Salvage]

Had to check after reading this... 2020 Lariat built 10/20 and the PRNDS... does not light up.. nor does the circle dial with 2WD/4WD...

Guess I wont be able to Reverse/Nuetral/Drive/Sport mode at night now.. unless Siri can change my selector!

Is is possible to change SIris name to... Hal...

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I read in the owner's manual that the HVAC can be controlled by voice commands, I tried to command it to change the temp settings after pressing the voice button but it didn't obey, with hvac auto systems I much prefer the old style dials, have had auto ACC since 1986 and they still have their issues.

I've tried the voice commands too for the HVAC and same as you nothing. I just chalked it up to that it didn't like my voice.

You've probably already resolved this by now, but just in case, the voice command for the truck won't work if you have a phone connected as the system will now default voice commands to Siri or Google.

Unplug your phone and voice command of HVAC works fine.

That said, I truly despise the tiny and near impossible to find HVAC buttons.

Ford should either dump the multiple media FF/RWD buttons or move them into the radio surround and use that space to put a couple of round knobs there to adjust temp and fan speed.

Please Ford! Change this!

 

[Sanford & Son Salvage]

I recall reading that the word Ranger on the rocker panel was illuminated with the illumination package? Does anyone have that and does it work? Mine does not.

 

[AzScorpion]

You've probably already resolved this by now, but just in case, the voice command for the truck won't work if you have a phone connected as the system will now default voice commands to Siri or Google.

Unplug your phone and voice command of HVAC works fine.

That said, I truly despise the tiny and near impossible to find HVAC buttons.

Ford should either dump the multiple media FF/RWD buttons or move them into the radio surround and use that space to put a couple of round knobs there to adjust temp and fan speed.

Please Ford! Change this!

Thanks Dennis I'll have to try it again. I rarely use CarPlay so I know that's not the issue.

I agree these controls are the worst I've ever had in any vehicle! Sometimes I'll turn on the parking lights just so it lights up the panel but usually I just use the touch screen controls.

 

[Montana Ranger]

That said, I truly despise the tiny and near impossible to find HVAC buttons.

Agreed. The HVAC controls are awful. Even after a year and a half, I still have to take my eyes off the road way too long to adjust the system. They are dark, small and seemingly well hidden.

If I were to redesign this, I'd move the airbag warning lights over to the passenger side panel, get rid of the audio control buttons that I've never used, move the HVAC controls up in their places and with larger buttons that can easily be identified by touch.

Also, one of the nicest features of my '98 Mountaineer's HVAC system were temperature and fan control buttons on the steering wheel. Perhaps add HVAC controls to the left phone & entertainment screen on the Lariat.

 

[TechnicallyReal]

Perhaps add HVAC controls to the left phone & entertainment screen on the Lariat.

There actually are some HVAC features on the rightmost cluster LCD that you can turn on using FORScan, but they don't function properly :'(

 

[D Fresh]

You can feel where the selector is right?

Three or four clicks down and you're where you want to be. Up two or three to back into a spot, up one to get out.

Pretty simple.

You can even feel by the release button if you're in in D or S. In S the button is slightly depressed.

As far as HVAC, just set to desired temp and let it do the work. The only button I ever hit is MAX Defrost, then back to auto.

 

[VAMike]

If I were to redesign this, I'd move the airbag warning lights over to the passenger side panel, get rid of the audio control buttons that I've never used, move the HVAC controls up in their places and with larger buttons that can easily be identified by touch.

I (and passengers) use the audio controls way more than the temperature controls. This is why it's hard to make a car that suits everybody.

Also, one of the nicest features of my '98 Mountaineer's HVAC system were temperature and fan control buttons on the steering wheel. Perhaps add HVAC controls to the left phone & entertainment screen on the Lariat.

This is definitely something that ford should have done, probably one of the things that skimped on when they were updating for the US market. That whole panel on the instrument panel is a missed opportunity/largely a waste of space.

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