These built-in systems can help prevent heatstroke tragedies in cars and SUVs

Children and hot cars can be a fatal combination. On average, there are 39 heatstroke-related deaths each year. Consumer Reports testing has shown that the temperature in a parked car can rise to dangerous levels on even a mild day. Our experts found that even when it was just 61° F outside, the temperature inside a closed car could reach more than 105° F in just an hour, an extremely dangerous and potentially fatal level for a child.

Many parents comment on social media outlets that such an accidental death would never happen to their child. But research has shown that anyone can forget a small child in a car, especially parents who have a change in their routine or those who are under stress. Just as drivers often find themselves lost in thought and navigating on autopilot, often getting to their destination without remembering details of the trip or missing a turn to run an errand, distracted parents can forget a quiet child or pet.

Several automakers now offer technology to help prevent these heatstroke deaths. Many models from a variety of automakers—including General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles), Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, and Toyota—have systems that can remind drivers that a rear door had been opened on a trip. A simple display in the gauge cluster, typically accompanied by a warning tone, encourages drivers to check the backseat.

The auto industry has committed to introducing rear-seat reminders that include a combination of auditory and visual alerts in essentially all cars and trucks by the 2025 model year. 

Consumer Reports, along with many other advocates of child passenger safety, have pushed for automakers to provide integrated heatstroke prevention systems. And T8Auto hopes to see them proliferate in the marketplace in many more mainstream, affordable vehicles, enabled straight from the factory and standard across all trims, says Emily Thomas, Ph.D., an automotive safety engineer at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. 

T8Auto favors systems that are delivered turned on as a default setting, because many parents don’t think they could make this mistake, Thomas says. If parents or caregivers have to activate the system manually, it’s less likely to be used.

Below are highlights of how these systems work based on our testing and experience. And there’s a chart that lists the vehicles that have an available rear-seat reminder system. The chart indicates if the system uses door logic to issue the reminder and/or if it has a motion-detecting sensor.

Of course, whether your car has a reminder system or not, always check the backseat, and never leave children unattended in a vehicle.

GM: Buick/Cadillac/Chevrolet/GMC

GM’s Rear Seat Reminder notes whether a rear door was opened up to 10 minutes before the vehicle is turned on or anytime after the vehicle is turned on. A reminder message is displayed in the driver cluster after the engine is turned off, accompanied by multitone chimes. This system comes enabled from the factory. The door logic works reliably, but it needs to be reactivated for each new ignition cycle. If the driver stops and turns off the engine, the system requires the rear doors to be opened and closed to be reactivated. 

Hyundai

Hyundai’s Rear Occupant Alert incorporates motion detection and rear-door logic. The door logic technology will be standard in most models by 2022, and the motion sensing will be optional. If either rear door has been opened before or during a trip, the system displays a warning in the instrument cluster and issues a two-tone chime after the engine is turned off to remind the driver to check the rear seat. If the rear door isn’t opened and the vehicle is locked, there are ultrasonic sensors that can detect motion up to 24 hours in the rear cabin. If the sensors detect motion, the vehicle will honk for 25 seconds and send an email or a text to the owners if they subscribe to Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics service. As long as motion is detected, the honking will be repeated, up to eight times. This system comes enabled from the factory. We found that the door logic works reliably but that the motion detection has limitations and is activated only when the vehicle is locked. 

Kia

Like the Hyundai system, Kia’s Rear Occupant Alert incorporates motion detection and rear-door logic. If either rear door has been opened before or during a trip, the system displays a warning in the instrument cluster and issues a two-tone chime after the engine is turned off to remind the driver to check the rear seat.

Despite the warning, if the rear door isn’t opened and the vehicle is locked, there are ultrasonic sensors that can detect motion up to 24 hours in the rear cabin. If the sensors detect motion, the vehicle will honk for 25 seconds and send an email or a text to the owners if they subscribe to Kia’s Uvo infotainment system. As long as motion is detected, the honking will be repeated, up to eight times. This system comes enabled from the factory. The door logic works reliably, but the motion detection has limitations and is activated only when the vehicle is locked.

Nissan

When the engine is turned off, Nissan’s Rear Door Alert shows a warning in the instrument cluster and makes a single-tone chime if the rear door was opened before the trip, before the driver’s door was opened. This scenario would suggest something, or someone, was placed in the back seat before the driver got in. The vehicle will honk the horn if rear doors aren’t opened again before the vehicle is locked, or if the rear hatch is opened and closed. The driver can choose to limit the warning to just the visual warning or disable it altogether. This system comes disabled from the factory, so owners need to activate it. The door logic works reliably.

Nissan has announced that this system will be available on all its four-door trucks, sedans, and SUVs by 2022.

Toyota

Toyota’s Rear Seat Reminder function notes whether a rear door was opened within 10 minutes of the vehicle being turned on, or at any time after the vehicle has been turned on. A reminder message is displayed in the instrument cluster after the engine is turned off, accompanied by multitone chimes. This system comes enabled from the factory.

The door logic works reliably, but it needs to be reactivated for each new ignition cycle. If the driver stops and turns off the engine, the system would require the rear doors to be opened and closed again in order to be reactivated. 

Currently the system is available as standard equipment only on the 2020 Toyota Highlander.

Select a brand from the pull-down menu below. 

Guide to Rear-Seat Reminders by Brand