Capacitive controls could be the cause of a spate of VW ID.4 crashes

Enlarge / The left spoke has controls for adaptive cruise control and lane keeping, the right spoke is for controlling settings and audio functions. (credit: Volkswagen)

Of all the recent trends in automotive technology and design, the adoption of capacitive controls over mechanical switches and buttons—particularly on multifunction steering wheels—is among the most deplorable. One can see the appeal to the designer—slick-looking fiat panels trump dust-attracting seams, for starters. The bean counters love them, too—it takes less time to install the subassemblies, and that means a little more profit per car. It’s just that they suck. And now, some Volkswagen drivers say capacitive buttons are to blame for their car crashes.

Capacitive buttons require only the lightest of touches to register a button push. That’s mostly a positive thing for buttons on the center console, but when those controls are on bits of trim you might touch by accident, you can run into problems.

For example, capacitive buttons are sometimes put on the spokes of a multifunction steering wheel, as in the image above. In some maneuvers—parking, for example—it’s possible to brush either one of the panels of buttons with a palm. If it’s the spoke on the right side, an accidental touch will just mess with the audio system, which is annoying and perhaps a bit distracting.