A Look at question of the Week: What’s The Dumbest Warning Label You’ve Seen in a Car?—WINNER’S UPDATE
WINNER’S ANNOUNCEMENT:
We’re back to announce the winner for our Question of the Week, where our victor will accept a $25 credit for a hat or T-shirt from the BaT Gear Store and the acclaim of their peers.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this week’s QotW, where we asked: What’s the dumbest warning label you’ve seen in a car?
We would normally be disinclined to be presented with various liability disclaimers, but we were chuckling at the various warning labels you shared with us this week. The “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear” warning on cars’ passenger mirrors was a popular nomination this week, although we would hardly consider it a dumb reminder.
So we’re handing the prize to a comment that stood out the most to us, which came from BaT member @Porsche1931:
Our regulatory digging found that automakers can, in fact, omit this statement, though in this case Porsche opted to keep it. Let’s just hope nobody listens to their advice about a mid-engine rumble seat.
Congratulations, Porsche1931! Be sure to check your email to claim the prize. Now, let’s take a look at some other popular nominations from this week’s discussion thread:
“Not a sticker, but the “check engine” light is dumb. When it comes on, I stop the car, open the hood, yep, engine is still there. Thanks for the reminder.”
“The off road warning label that came on the headliner on the Gmc Syclone/Typhoon.
“NOTICE THIS VEHICLE IS NOT INTENDED FOR OFF ROAD USE. THE REDUCED HEIGHT OF THIS VEHICLE WILL NOT ALLOW IT TO CLEAR OBSTACLES COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN OFF ROAD ENVIRONMENT. OFF ROAD OPERATION COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS DAMAGE TO CHASSIS AND DRIVETRAIN.
REFER TO OWNER’S MANUAL FOR OPERATION…”
Image: Grassroots Motorsports
Ow, my warranty!
“Alfa 4C glow‑in‑the‑dark emergency pull trunk‑release handle. 4C has a trunk no one could ever possibly fit in forget about get trapped in. Its basically a glove box with commitment issues that wandered to the back of the car
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2015-alfa-romeo-4c-coupe-19/ see Photo 117
I’d bet it doesn’t even glow‑in‑the‑dark no way to prove it…..”
“Does anyone remember the warning on the visor of early (‘63-‘64) Mopar hemis? “Limit wide open throttle bursts to 15 seconds.””
This 1964 primer on the then-new 426 Ramcharger V8 also famously listed a number of operating characteristics, including “Wide-open throttle bursts should be limited to fifteen seconds’ duration.”
“Dumbest ??
How about the Honda Motorcycle Owners manual making a statement “ do not drink the contents of the battery. You can be killed…”
Circa 1998 and current
Far cry from the owners manuals of the 1960s and 70s which advised on the proper procedure to adjust your valves !”
Well, that’s quite nice of them to give you the antidote in case you do decide to take a sip.
“”Not An Ashtray” turn of the century label on storage cubbies..”
@CarDogThreePedals writes:
Most any modern Subaru:
“Watching this screen and making selections while driving can lead to a serious accident.”
To paraphrase “Stork” from “Animal House:” “How the hell else are we s’posed tune the radio and adjust the air flow, you mo-ron?”
You and everyone else in this car may die when the driver uses this screen while driving, but the driver must use this screen while driving.
There’s also: “No device connected. Do you want to add a device?”
No, I do not. I just want to drive, and I don’t want to drive a smartphone. Less swiping, more steering.
Happy motoring for those actual ‘drivers’ that are still out there.
That’s it for this week’s Question of the Week! Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations once again to our winner, Porsche1931. We’ll be back with a new question soon.
ORIGINAL POST:
Welcome to the BaT Question of the Week! For those unfamiliar, here are the rules: we ask an automotive-themed question, and the author of our favorite answer from the comments is awarded a $25 credit to the BaT Gear Store.
This week, we’re asking: What’s the dumbest warning label you’ve seen in a car?
For every warning label out there, there’s some unfortunate person whose mishap necessitated its placement. Do not open when hot. Keep fingers clear. Yes there’s water in the battery, no you can’t drink it. You get the point. Things that seem obvious to many aren’t always so for others. But sometimes, it feels a little condescending.
We’ll spare you the examples lest we spoil the discussion. So now you get to tell us:
What’s the dumbest warning label you’ve seen in a car?
Tell us all about it in the comments, and give a thumbs-up to any nominations that grab your attention. We’ll announce the winner on Monday.
“On the sun visor, in a Boxster it says, and I quote,”The safest place for children is the backseat” 🤨, you want an eight year old to sit in the engine bay? Sound more dangerous than the airbag to me…”
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Porsche1931 commented on Question of the Week: What's The Dumbest Warning Label You've Seen in a Car?—WINNER’S UPDATE