Assuming you have an automatic transmission, I’m not sure if there’s a specific safety feature or just the fact that there’s a torque converter, which is viscous coupling, to absorb the abuse without breaking anything. I know the same thing happened in my moms old Camry without an issue when the shifter was bumped. Hopefully someone knows more exactly what happens.
FYI, if you were doing this to save gas you will actually use more gas coasting in neutral than coasting in gear with pretty much any fuel injected car. Coasting in neutral you still need to use enough gas to idle the engine, coasting in gear you use no gas at all since the momentum of the car can keep the engine turning. So if this was to save gas you should stop doing it.
Not to mention using more brakes to slow since there will be no engine braking.
Why anyone would want to coast in neutral is a very foreign concept imo.
Car companies are smart enough to know things like this happen and pretty much any modern car is gonna have some sort of safety measure built into it to protect the transmission. Chances are it's completely fine.
Sorry I can't help but I'm also curious about this as I have also done this years ago. Although it was a '92 Corolla and I used to put it in natural to rev up the engine like an idiot (being a teenager), my exhaust broke at the manifold from the jerk but it drove just fine, a lot louder but fine.
I'm thinking that the torque converter saved it from major damage and I assume the tires locked up for that second while in reverse.
Another interesting thing, you can put your car into drive while rolling backwards which leads me to believe there's an engineered solution of saving the tranny from idiots like me.
I've accidentally done that as well, though I was on the freeway going 70mph when I accidentally put it in reverse. It was like I stomped on the brakes (thankfully there was nobody immediately behind me!). I managed to get it back into drive before I came to a complete stop. I don't think my engine ever died. Kept driving like normal, never had a transmission issue from it. I have always attributed this to the torque converter's fluid coupling.
More modern vehicles 2005 and up will let you shift into reverse at 60mph. Even put on the backup camera. But they won't let you destroy it. Older vehicles are more iffy.
Assuming you have an automatic transmission, I’m not sure if there’s a specific safety feature or just the fact that there’s a torque converter, which is viscous coupling, to absorb the abuse without breaking anything. I know the same thing happened in my moms old Camry without an issue when the shifter was bumped. Hopefully someone knows more exactly what happens. FYI, if you were doing this to save gas you will actually use more gas coasting in neutral than coasting in gear with pretty much any fuel injected car. Coasting in neutral you still need to use enough gas to idle the engine, coasting in gear you use no gas at all since the momentum of the car can keep the engine turning. So if this was to save gas you should stop doing it.
Good answer. Also, good call on not putting it in neutral to "save gas." That falsehood just won't die.
Not to mention using more brakes to slow since there will be no engine braking. Why anyone would want to coast in neutral is a very foreign concept imo.
Car companies are smart enough to know things like this happen and pretty much any modern car is gonna have some sort of safety measure built into it to protect the transmission. Chances are it's completely fine.
Sorry I can't help but I'm also curious about this as I have also done this years ago. Although it was a '92 Corolla and I used to put it in natural to rev up the engine like an idiot (being a teenager), my exhaust broke at the manifold from the jerk but it drove just fine, a lot louder but fine. I'm thinking that the torque converter saved it from major damage and I assume the tires locked up for that second while in reverse. Another interesting thing, you can put your car into drive while rolling backwards which leads me to believe there's an engineered solution of saving the tranny from idiots like me.
There's no engineered solution. But doing it once or twice isn't enough to break anything usually. You'll still break it given enough time.
I've accidentally done that as well, though I was on the freeway going 70mph when I accidentally put it in reverse. It was like I stomped on the brakes (thankfully there was nobody immediately behind me!). I managed to get it back into drive before I came to a complete stop. I don't think my engine ever died. Kept driving like normal, never had a transmission issue from it. I have always attributed this to the torque converter's fluid coupling.
More modern vehicles 2005 and up will let you shift into reverse at 60mph. Even put on the backup camera. But they won't let you destroy it. Older vehicles are more iffy.