Nissan's new audible warning reminds parents not to leave kids in hot cars

On average, 1 child dies every 10 days due to in-car heatstroke in the U.S.

By Jeremy Korzeniewski
Nissan’s Rear Door Alert is the industry’s first system that uses the horn, in addition to door sensors and a message display on the center instrument panel, shown here on the 2019 Altima, to remind drivers to check the back seat after the vehicle is parked. By model year 2022, Nissan plans to have RDA standard on all four-door trucks, sedans and SUV nameplates.
Nissan’s Rear Door Alert is the industry’s first system that uses the horn, in addition to door sensors and a message display on the center instrument panel, shown here on the 2019 Altima, to remind drivers to check the back seat after the vehicle is parked. By model year 2022, Nissan plans to have RDA standard on all four-door trucks, sedans and SUV nameplates.
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So far this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that
29 children have died of heatstroke after being left in a hot car. That number will only climb — on average, 1 child dies every 10 days due to in-car heatstroke. And it doesn’t always have to be stifling hot outside for tragedy to strike. NHTSA says the interior of a car can soar to 110 degrees even with an exterior temperature of only 60 degrees.


To combat this very real problem, Nissan introduced Rear Door Alert technology in its 2018 Pathfinder that reminds owners to check the rear seat upon exiting their vehicle. Instead of a simple warning text on the dash, Nissan’s system includes “a series of distinctive honks as the driver walks away from the vehicle.” RDA monitors use of a car’s rear door, and if it’s opened at the beginning of a trip but remains closed at the end, the warning system activates.


RDA was developed by two engineers at Nissan who are also mothers. For 2019, Nissan has spread RDA across much of its lineup, including the Altima and Rogue. And by 2022, RDA will be standard across all four-door Nissan vehicles, including pickup trucks.


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