2024 Ford Mustang Can Protect Pedestrians With "Exit Warning" System

It can detect people near the car when parked, theoretically stopping the driver from hitting them with an open door.

Photo by: Ford

By: Christopher Smith

Jul 7, 2023 at 1:28pm ET

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Let's address the obvious subject on our minds regarding this Mustang pedestrian safety system. No, it won't stop Mustang drivers from crashing into crowds. "Exit Warning" doesn't refer to exiting car shows, cars and coffee meets, or your neighbor's driveway. Jokes aside, it's actually a clever feature to help curtail untimely collisions between car doors and people, especially in crowded urban environments.

That's what Exit Warning really means in this context – alerting drivers of people approaching the car. When parked, the Mustang's onboard radar will detect objects approaching from the rear at speeds over 4 mph. If something enters the danger zone, a warning notification will appear on the instrument cluster and side mirror, and an audible chime will sound. In theory, the driver will not open the door but hey, that's left to the individual to decide.

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With the average human walking speed being 3 mph, the system is largely aimed at curtailing inadvertent door collisions with cyclists, scooter riders, and joggers. It's active when the vehicle is parked, and it will remain active for three minutes after shutting the car off. Since Exit Warning relies on rear radar, it's only available on Mustangs with applicable driver-assist systems. And while the feature may not make much sense to rural drivers, anyone who's spent time in the city – either as a driver or a cyclist – knows the danger is real on streets filled with parallel-parked cars.

And those streets will soon see the seventh-generation Ford Mustang. 2024 model-year ponies should be reaching dealerships as this article posts, bringing fresh-yet-familiar styling with Ford's established 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or 5.0-liter V8 engine under the hood. For now at least, the Mustang remains a pure internal-combustion machine and after this year, it will be the only choice for fans of Detroit muscle. The Chevrolet Camaro ends production in January 2024 with no successor in sight, and the Dodge Challenger also exits the scene at the end of this year.

Source: Ford