Something I Just Noticed About The Rear Doors' Lock Knobs

[Scrappycrow]

A couple of days ago, I wanted to get something out of the rear seat area in my Tahoe. The front windows were open, the rear windows were closed, the doors were locked except for the driver's door and I didn't have my key & fob on me. So, as I have done innumerable times on four-door vehicles, I just reached through the driver's window and past the B-pillar to pull up the rear lock knob.

What do you think I discovered about the lock knobs on the rear doors? They aren't at the front of the door, they're at the rear! What the...

Every four-door vehicle I can think of has always had the rear doors' lock knobs at the front (my '57 Chevy, my mom's '76 Malibu, my '87 AMC Eagle, my '86 BMW 535i, my '94 Camry, my girlfriend's Prius... and on). Why did GM do the knobs this way on the GMT900s? Is it because folks are so dependent on using fobs/switches and having the mechanics all at the rear simplifies things a teensy bit? It's somewhat inconsequential for everyday situations if everything is working right, but it just struck me as odd.

Any thoughts on this?

- Scrappy

 

[Doubeleive]

A couple of days ago, I wanted to get something out of the rear seat area in my Tahoe. The front windows were open, the rear windows were closed, the doors were locked except for the driver's door and I didn't have my key & fob on me. So, as I have done innumerable times on four-door vehicles, I just reached through the driver's window and past the B-pillar to pull up the rear lock knob.

What do you think I discovered about the lock knobs on the rear doors? They aren't at the front of the door, they're at the rear! What the...

Every four-door vehicle I can think of has always had the rear doors' lock knobs at the front (my '57 Chevy, my mom's '76 Malibu, my '87 AMC Eagle, my '86 BMW 535i, my '94 Camry, my girlfriend's Prius... and on). Why did GM do the knobs this way on the GMT900s? Is it because folks are so dependent on using fobs/switches and having the mechanics all at the rear simplifies things a teensy bit? It's somewhat inconsequential for everyday situations if everything is working right, but it just struck me as odd.

Any thoughts on this?

- Scrappy

all they did was move them from the door handle to the door panel
on the K2's you can't even grab them unless you have some bear claw fingernails, instead you just pull the inside door handle twice

 

[intheburbs]

The lock knobs have to be at the rear of the door, above the door handle, because that's the way the lock mechanism functions. They'd have change the latch mechanism to move the lock knob/button to the front.

 

[j91z28d1]

I didn't even notice that either. we have a newer like 2020 Ford truck at work that doesn't have power door locks and you gotta reach back and unlock them all the time. good thing they are in the front. I wonder if gm ever sold any of these as fleet vehicles without power windows and locks.

 

[Scrappycrow]

They'd have change the latch mechanism to move the lock knob/button to the front.

No, they wouldn't. Two simple bellcranks (as almost every vehicle with forward lock knobs has) would do it.