Gets a mild shock on hand touching door while exiting car

on the '06 or the '16? If on the new one, I'd show the problem to the dealer. There might be a voltage leak that is charging the body and it discharges when you close the door.

 

My wife use to get that in one of our cars. I recall it was something to do with synthetic clothing materials generating static charge which discharged to earth when she excited (darned auto-corection) got out of the car. Perhaps this could be happening to you...

 

Static Electricity. When I was growing up in the UK (1950s and 60s) I remember seeing small chains hanging from cars' bumpers to discharge the static to ground! (…anyone else remember those?)

 

Static electricity. Just keep your hand on the door before you put your feet on the ground

 

Static shock is an artifact of the use of LRR tires. Normal tires use carbon black in the rubber compound which makes the tires slightly conductive. Our LRR tires use Organo-silicates instead of the Carbon Black so they are good insulators.

JeffD

 

Yep - static electricity. I have sheepskin seat covers and if wearing synthetic clothes, I can have the same thing, particularly if the humidity is low.

I remember decades ago I used to drive to work, exit the car, sliding out of the car with the door open - my wife would exit the passenger's door to drive home, close her door, and we'd meet halfway around and kiss goodbye - static between lips isn't very endearing!!! I learned to hold the door as I exited.

 

I agree it's probably your clothing material causing it.

You're good to go (unless your hair starts falling out, like mine did! )

 

There should not be any meaningful leak from the high voltage battery. If there is, it's internal ground fault protection should disconnect it completely.

The normal cause of this door spark, which was common in a couple of my 20th Century cars, is static charge created when your clothing fabric separates from the seat fabric. Try grabbing the door frame before sliding out of the seat, to dissipate this static while it is being created.

 

... and I thought it was only in romantic novels that when Aussie blokes kissed a Sheila - sparks flew!

 

I usually don't start to experience this until the winter, when humidity levels are at their lowest.

 

Is it an electrical shock or a static discharge? Electrical shock will send a current into your body, causing a "jolt" like reaction. Static discharge will cause a light spark, but not jolt. When the weather is dry, I always carry a static charge and cannot leave any of the cars we own without a static discharge. Wife calls me "sparky"

 

Yes static.
Does this happen before your foot hits the ground (inside), or after (outside)?
If it happens inside the car, then I suspect you maybe exchanging electrons with the seat, and then when you hit the door give em back. If it happens outside then maybe the whole car is charged and you are grounding it.

 

Static will cause a jolt too, if it is big enough. An ESD (electro-static discharge) gun used for testing products will very certainly give me a big painful jolt when dialed up to 25kV.

Lightning is essentially a very large static discharge. It can give a massive jolt.

 

If it keeps on happening and you can't stand it, maybe put a rubber sleeve on the handle if you're being shocked on the interior door handle. Maybe slam the door from the outside with your knee when exiting?

 

The safety perspective would be filling up with gaso, you'd rather touch the door to get rid of the static before you used the pump.