NHTSA complaint #11403630

Owner complaint summary

DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE ON NICE CLEAR DAY WITH MINIMAL TRAFFIC, CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THE CRUISE DISENGAGES, WARNING LIGHT BEGINS TO APPEAR ON DASH SHOWING 2 CARS COLLIDING WITH AUDIBLE ALARM INFORMING ME THAT THE FRONT RADAR IS OBSTRUCTED. CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK AND ANY ATTEMPT TO USE CRUISE CONTROL IS MET WITH AUDIBLE ALARM AND WARNING THAT FRONT RADAR IS OBSTRUCTED. I STOP, CHECK ALL RADAR/SENSORS FOR DEBRI... EVERYTHING IS FINE, NO BUGS, NOT DEBRI, NO OBSTRUCTION. I RESTART ENGINE, SAME WARNING APPEARS BEFORE I EVEN PUT TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE. START DRIVING, SAME SITUATION, FRONT RADAR OBSTRUCTED, CRUISE NOT AVAILABLE. AFTER 10 MILES OR SO THE FLASING LIGHT GOES OFF, EVERYTHING RETURNS TO NORMAL, CRUISE CONTROL WORKS PROPERLY. CAR MAY EXPERIENCE THIS OROBLEM TWICE IN HUNDRED MILE TRIP ON PERFECTLY CLEAR DAY. OTHER TIMES IT MAY NOT HAPPEN AT ALL ON A 100 MILE TRIP. WHEN THIS DOES HAPPEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC THE SITUATION BECOMES DANGEROUS QUICKLY BECAUSE THE AUTOMATED BRAKING IS DISABLED AND IF THE RADIO IS ON IT'S EASY TO NOT REALIZE THE SYSTEM IS OFF UNTIL YOUR SPEED IS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY. I HAVE HAD 2 CLOSE CALLS BECAUSE OF THIS - ONE WITH A CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPING ABRUPTLY AND THE SYSTEM FAILED TO MAINTAIN THE SELECTED GAP BETWEEN MY VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME SO I HAD TO VEER ONTO THE MEDIAN TO AVOID A COLLISION; THE SECOND TIME THE CRUISE ABRUPTLY DISENGAGED TRAFFIC BEHIND ME ALMOST RAN INTO ME WHICH CAUSED VEHICLES BEHIND ME TO HAVE A CLOSE CALL. SO FAR THIS PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY OR INTERSTATE, NEVER IN TOWN. SOMETIMES WHEN IT IS RAINING REALLY HARD THE SAME WARNING LIGHT & AUDIBLE ALARM WILL SOUND, HOWEVER CRUISE CONTROL REMAINS OPERATIONAL AS DOES THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING. SO IT APPEARS TO WORK PROPERLY AT TIMES.