The Teletouch pushbutton automatic transmission selector was an extremely complex feature.
 It proved problematic in part because the steering wheel hub, where the pushbuttons were located, was the traditional location of the horn button.
 Some drivers inadvertently shifted gears when they intended to sound the horn.
 While Edsels were fast, the location of the transmission pushbuttons was not conducive to street racing.
There were also jokes among stoplight drag racers about the buttons: D for Drag, L for Leap, and R for Race (instead of Drive, Low and Reverse).
 The control wires for Teletouch were also routed too close to the exhaust manifold, which often caused unpredictable movement of the selector mechanism and, in some cases, complete failure.
The electrical design required drivers to shift from Park to Reverse to Neutral to Drive, in that order, to avoid overloading the Teletouch motor.
The motor was also not powerful enough to bring the car out of Park while on a hill, so dealerships would instruct drivers to set the parking brake before pushing the Park button.

Mechanics of the time were wary of the 410-cubic-inch Edsel "E-475" engine because its perfectly flat cylinder heads lacked distinct combustion chambers.
 The heads were set at an angle, with "roof" pistons forming both a squish zone on one side and a combustion chamber on the other.
  Combustion thus took place entirely within the cylinder bore.
 This design was similar to Chevrolet's 348-cubic-inch "W" engine, which was also introduced in 1958.
 While the design reduced the cost of manufacture and may also have helped minimize carbon buildup, it was also unfamiliar to many mechanics.
The Teletouch pushbutton automatic transmission selector was an extremely complex feature.  It proved problematic in part because the steering wheel hub, where the pushbuttons were located, was the traditional location of the horn button.  Some drivers inadvertently shifted gears when they intended to sound the horn.  While Edsels were fast, the location of the transmission pushbuttons was not conducive to street racing. There were also jokes among stoplight drag racers about the buttons: D for Drag, L for Leap, and R for Race (instead of Drive, Low and Reverse).  The control wires for Teletouch were also routed too close to the exhaust manifold, which often caused unpredictable movement of the selector mechanism and, in some cases, complete failure. The electrical design required drivers to shift from Park to Reverse to Neutral to Drive, in that order, to avoid overloading the Teletouch motor. The motor was also not powerful enough to bring the car out of Park while on a hill, so dealerships would instruct drivers to set the parking brake before pushing the Park button.
Mechanics of the time were wary of the 410-cubic-inch Edsel "E-475" engine because its perfectly flat cylinder heads lacked distinct combustion chambers.  The heads were set at an angle, with "roof" pistons forming both a squish zone on one side and a combustion chamber on the other.   Combustion thus took place entirely within the cylinder bore.  This design was similar to Chevrolet's 348-cubic-inch "W" engine, which was also introduced in 1958.  While the design reduced the cost of manufacture and may also have helped minimize carbon buildup, it was also unfamiliar to many mechanics.
Edsel