forward automatic emergency braking

[BrynBailey]

Got a little taste of this the other day pulling in the garage and one of the kids toys fell off the wall and it decided to brake "aggressively". Scared the crap out of me actually. Guess I would have just mowed it over in any other scenario lol

 

[hbalek]

Got a little taste of this the other day pulling in the garage and one of the kids toys fell off the wall and it decided to brake "aggressively". Scared the crap out of me actually. Guess I would have just mowed it over in any other scenario lol

An empty potato chip bag flew across my path the other day and the car braked to slow down but not to a complete stop and once the chip bag had passed, it kept going!! LOL The park assist has one time mistakenly seen an object in my path and stopped and canceled the parking. It was a street marking on the pavement when it was also raining to confuse the sensors.

 

[user3665]

I also have a question. If someone can answer it, that would be great! I have the 2020 Limited AWD, and it has Ford's system that I think is called Co-Pilot +. It's on the MSRP sticker so I'm sure it has it. What I can't figure out is this: *WHEN* does the automatic emergency braking kick in? The two vehicles I owned prior to this Explorer also had the latest suite of safety features, including automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection. What does the car have to see or do in order for the brakes to come on? The reason I'm asking is because I wanted to test it to see how it works. With my other two non-Ford SUVs, it was quite simple. I tested it out by driving on the freeway and when traffic ahead slowed (as it always does in California), the brakes applied automatically and very comfortably brought me to a safe stop without me doing a thing.

Now let me talk about what the Explorer does (or does not do). I have tried everything I can think of to get the car's brakes to automatically apply themselves, but the closest I've come to that is having the dash light up in bright red lights and it beeps and says something like "COLLISION WARNING!". I don't know if that is the exact wording that's used, but I'm sure you guys are familiar with the dash turning red and getting your attention. When this happens, nothing happens with the brakes. It tells me I'm about to crash, but that's all it does. Like I said, I've tried everything in all types of traffic, moving traffic, stopped traffic, etc....Every time I've tried it, the ONLY way to not get into an accident is for me to slam on the brakes (I always leave enough room to not crash into the person in front of me).

The strange thing is, when I put the car's adaptive cruise control on and I push the VERY difficult button to find to make the little steering wheel show up in the instrument cluster (I say it's hard to find because it's just the turn signal stalk and you push a button on the end of it, however, it is not marked anywhere that there's even a button there. And if you find the button by accident and push it, nothing happens on the display). So if I'm on the freeway with the adaptive cruise turned on and the little steering wheel icon showing up in the instrument cluster, the car WILL bring itself to a stop safely. It's not a panic stop, it's just a normal stop as if I was just driving in traffic coming home. This is how my previous SUVs worked also. But the second I turn off the adaptive cruise control, that's it---no more automatic emergency braking. Just the warning in red on the dash, telling you you're about to crash, but that's all.

This does not sound right to me----does it sound right to you? I do have this feature turned on in the Infotainment system where you can touch the screen and slide the buttons ON or OFF, and everything safety-related is ON. I must be doing something wrong, because I can't imagine Ford would design a safety feature so irresponsibly. I'm sure there's got to be a way for the AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking) to come on without being in cruise control mode.

 

[Dale5403]

I have a question. If someone can answer it, that would be great! I have the 2020 Limited AWD, and it has Ford's system that I think is called Co-Pilot +. It's on the MSRP sticker so I'm sure it has it. What I can't figure out is this: *WHEN* does the automatic emergency braking kick in? The two vehicles I owned prior to this Explorer also had the latest suite of safety features, including automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection. What does the car have to see or do in order for the brakes to come on? The reason I'm asking is because I wanted to test it to see how it works. With my other two non-Ford SUVs, it was quite simple. I tested it out by driving on the freeway and when traffic ahead slowed (as it always does in California), the brakes applied automatically and very comfortably brought me to a safe stop without me doing a thing.

Now let me talk about what the Explorer does (or does not do). I have tried everything I can think of to get the car's brakes to automatically apply themselves, but the closest I've come to that is having the dash light up in bright red lights and it beeps and says something like "COLLISION WARNING!". I don't know if that is the exact wording that's used, but I'm sure you guys are familiar with the dash turning red and getting your attention. When this happens, nothing happens with the brakes. It tells me I'm about to crash, but that's all it does. Like I said, I've tried everything in all types of traffic, moving traffic, stopped traffic, etc....Every time I've tried it, the ONLY way to not get into an accident is for me to slam on the brakes (I always leave enough room to not crash into the person in front of me).

The strange thing is, when I put the car's adaptive cruise control on and I push the VERY difficult button to find to make the little steering wheel show up in the instrument cluster (I say it's hard to find because it's just the turn signal stalk and you push a button on the end of it, however, it is not marked anywhere that there's even a button there. And if you find the button by accident and push it, nothing happens on the display). So if I'm on the freeway with the adaptive cruise turned on and the little steering wheel icon showing up in the instrument cluster, the car WILL bring itself to a stop safely. It's not a panic stop, it's just a normal stop as if I was just driving in traffic coming home. This is how my previous SUVs worked also. But the second I turn off the adaptive cruise control, that's it---no more automatic emergency braking. Just the warning in red on the dash, telling you you're about to crash, but that's all.

This does not sound right to me----does it sound right to you? I do have this feature turned on in the Infotainment system where you can touch the screen and slide the buttons ON or OFF, and everything safety-related is ON. I must be doing something wrong, because I can't imagine Ford would design a safety feature so irresponsibly. I'm sure there's got to be a way for the AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking) to come on without being in cruise control mode.

The Pre-Collision Assist is covered on pages 274 to 276 in the owners manual. If yours is not working as described you may need to take it in for service.

 

[user3665]

The Pre-Collision Assist is covered on pages 274 to 276 in the owners manual. If yours is not working as described you may need to take it in for service.

Hi,

I previously posted this question in the wrong category and a moderator moved it here. So this is my first time reading through all of these comments just now.

People are calling the different systems by different names, and that’s okay with me as long as we know what we’re referring to.

Someone commented about their Explorer automatically braking when in reverse and a crash was imminent. That system in my Infiniti QX60 was awesome and saved me several times in grocery store parking lots. Usually a tall SUV or pickup would be parked to my right, and that prevented me from seeing anything at all. The system picked up movement about a half-second before the audible warning started beeping. I thought I had the same system in this 2020 Explorer Limited (because I stupidly believed the salesman) but it does not. The system is not even an option. However, it comes standard on the ST and Platinum. I don’t know anything about the new packages they have introduced since my 2020 purchase (such as the King Ranch Explorer, and another one with cool looking exterior striping and other goodies).

But the 2020 Limited only comes with the warning (aka: beeping sound). Now when I back out but cannot see, I’m covering the brake pedal at all times, ready to stomp on it if it beeps. It’s called the “Andy Option”. I also have my four-way flashers on because I upgraded my rear turn signals and white backup lights to super-bright LEDs (what a big difference, especially backing up at night).

But as for my original question about forward AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking for objects and pedestrians), the manual says I have it. Also, on my Infotainment screen you can turn some things on and off (I’m taking a wild guess here but that might be for going off-road so that you don’t get braking when you don’t want it?). On the screen for AEB, a little video plays for a few seconds telling you what it does. And I just discovered videos that were made by FoMoCo and uploaded to YouTube that explain all sorts of things on that screen. Each video is short, maybe 90 to 120 seconds long at the most. Their online video and Owner’s Manual and animated thing on the screen all tell me the same thing, which is that my 2020 Limited SHOULD apply emergency brakes if it thinks you’re about to crash into a vehicle above 3-5 MPH and/or a pedestrian up to 50 MPH (your speed, not the pedestrian). It sounds to me as if Ford has a flaw in this system since several people here have commented on this for their own Explorer. A Recall Notice would not surprise me. I’m in the 4th recall now, so they might as well make it an even five. (I love my Explorer, but it has spent an incredible and ridiculous amount of time on tow trucks and in the dealership’s service garages. It’s the most flawed vehicle, reliability-wise, that I’ve ever owned. I bought it on March 10TH, 2020 and it’s current mileage is 1,598. That’s not a typo.

Great input and information/experience here! Thank you for your help with the issues. And if you know anything about the 20 inch hand-polished wheels on the Limited, please look at my post where I just updated it with several pictures.

Thanks!

Andy in Pleasanton, CA

 

[Dale5403]

Hi,

I previously posted this question in the wrong category and a moderator moved it here. So this is my first time reading through all of these comments just now.

People are calling the different systems by different names, and that’s okay with me as long as we know what we’re referring to.

Someone commented about their Explorer automatically braking when in reverse and a crash was imminent. That system in my Infiniti QX60 was awesome and saved me several times in grocery store parking lots. Usually a tall SUV or pickup would be parked to my right, and that prevented me from seeing anything at all. The system picked up movement about a half-second before the audible warning started beeping. I thought I had the same system in this 2020 Explorer Limited (because I stupidly believed the salesman) but it does not. The system is not even an option. However, it comes standard on the ST and Platinum. I don’t know anything about the new packages they have introduced since my 2020 purchase (such as the King Ranch Explorer, and another one with cool looking exterior striping and other goodies).

But the 2020 Limited only comes with the warning (aka: beeping sound). Now when I back out but cannot see, I’m covering the brake pedal at all times, ready to stomp on it if it beeps. It’s called the “Andy Option”. I also have my four-way flashers on because I upgraded my rear turn signals and white backup lights to super-bright LEDs (what a big difference, especially backing up at night).

But as for my original question about forward AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking for objects and pedestrians), the manual says I have it. Also, on my Infotainment screen you can turn some things on and off (I’m taking a wild guess here but that might be for going off-road so that you don’t get braking when you don’t want it?). On the screen for AEB, a little video plays for a few seconds telling you what it does. And I just discovered videos that were made by FoMoCo and uploaded to YouTube that explain all sorts of things on that screen. Each video is short, maybe 90 to 120 seconds long at the most. Their online video and Owner’s Manual and animated thing on the screen all tell me the same thing, which is that my 2020 Limited SHOULD apply emergency brakes if it thinks you’re about to crash into a vehicle above 3-5 MPH and/or a pedestrian up to 50 MPH (your speed, not the pedestrian). It sounds to me as if Ford has a flaw in this system since several people here have commented on this for their own Explorer. A Recall Notice would not surprise me. I’m in the 4th recall now, so they might as well make it an even five. (I love my Explorer, but it has spent an incredible and ridiculous amount of time on tow trucks and in the dealership’s service garages. It’s the most flawed vehicle, reliability-wise, that I’ve ever owned. I bought it on March 10TH, 2020 and it’s current mileage is 1,598. That’s not a typo.

Great input and information/experience here! Thank you for your help with the issues. And if you know anything about the 20 inch hand-polished wheels on the Limited, please look at my post where I just updated it with several pictures.

Thanks!

Andy in Pleasanton, CA

the only other thing I can think of have you tried changing the sensitivity for It? I think there is 3 setting, low, normal and high.

 

[peterk9]

the only other thing I can think of have you tried changing the sensitivity for It? I think there is 3 setting, low, normal and high.

I believe that applies to the Forward Collision Warning alerts only.

BTW, the word "braking" appears 123 times in the Manual and is not shown in relationship to Automatic Emergency Braking, which isn't in the Manual.

Peter

 

[Dale5403]

I believe that applies to the Forward Collision Warning alerts only.


Peter

I really don't want to test it out myself Peter.

 

[user3665]

the only other thing I can think of have you tried changing the sensitivity for It? I think there is 3 setting, low, normal and high.

I haven’t located that setting. Where is it—-Infotainment screen or driver’s screen? I do see the three settings for how close to follow someone with the three horizontal lines on the driver’s screen (follow really close, follow sorta medium close, and follow far). Those are my own words….

I read Peter’s posting above as well. If my Explorer does not have AEB because they’re using a technicality of a description, then I’ll have no choice but to look into legal issues. The salesman said it had it (and showed me while parked how to turn it on), the window sticker I think refers to it as Automatic Forward Braking and Pedestrian Detection, and it’s advertised as having a suite of standard emergency braking functions.

Honestly, if the new Explorers do not have AEB, in my own personal opinion, that is major negligence and false advertising. I just find it hard to even conceive that it does not have it.

I’ll ask at the service center at the local dealership when I take it in for another recall repair. I’ll report back what I learn but it might be a week or more due to my dad (mentioned earlier).

Thank you very much for your patience and knowledge.

Andy in Pleasanton, CA

 

[peterk9]

Have you read the Manual starting on page 274? I don't know if that helps answer your concern.

Peter

 

[Pedro504]

pre-collision assist not available
My Ford Pass app has a new message indicating the above statement.
The Collision Warning system has detected that the radar signals from the sensors have been obstructed. The message goes on to say that a radar sensor is blocked or dirty.

Does anyone know where these radar signals originate? I've looked at and cleaned the exterior front of the vehicle and windshield and can't see anything obstructed?
My vehicle is a 2021 Platinum.

 

[peterk9]

Have a look at this post although I thought it was centred just below the grille and bumper. Pre-Collision/Intelligent Cruise Control Sensor Issue

Peter

 

[Ken St John]

I believe this was one of the things we "tested" during the Ford Performance School. Drive towards a "balloon" that looks a lot like the rear end of a car ... accelerate to ~25mph ... plant your foot firmly on the floor and wait. Red light on the dash, loud warning tone, then it slams on the brakes and doesn't hit the "car". Worked perfectly every time. I remember our instructor mentioning that the manual states a max speed for the system (35mph maybe) but he "might" have seen it work as high as 50mph.

I have not had this scenario unfold for real, but the 5-6 times we did it in Utah, it worked like a champ!!

Ken

 

[Pedro504]

It's working!
Actually I set the distance alert sensitivity to the closest or lowest setting and now it works. Perhaps that reset something in the software because nothing else changed. I inspected the radar sensor for dirt and it was clean (I routinely visit the local car wash).
That same day I experienced an alert for a vehicle ahead and in my lane slowing down very abruptly and then making a very slow right turn into a store lot. I was accelerating as I approached the vehicle and the red alert flashed. Once I touched the brakes (moderate pressure) the alert disappeared.
The owner's manual (2nd printing) explains the features on page 274 to 277.
This may all be a coincidence and I'll put the distance alert sensitivyty back up to maximum as the owner's manual recommends.

 

[Pedro504]

In the last week the Pre-Collision Assist Not Available alert has reappeared on the dash and in the Fordpass app while driving during a large flake snowfall.
Once the weather conditions cleared and the vehicle was shutdown and restarted, the alerts disappeared.
Anyone else have similar experiences?

 

[hbalek]

In the last week the Pre-Collision Assist Not Available alert has reappeared on the dash and in the Fordpass app while driving during a large flake snowfall.
Once the weather conditions cleared and the vehicle was shutdown and restarted, the alerts disappeared.
Anyone else have similar experiences?

That's normal in heavy rain, snow or fog. The camera is either blocked or temporarily disabled. Also, you'll notice if you have adaptive or intelligent cruise control, lane centering or speed sign recognition enabled, they will be temporarily unavailable.

 

[Pedro504]

That's normal in heavy rain, snow or fog. The camera is either blocked or temporarily disabled. Also, you'll notice if you have adaptive or intelligent cruise control, lane centering or speed sign recognition enabled, they will be temporarily unavailable.

Yes, i saw the intelligent cruise control was also not available.
Thanks for the information hbalek.

 

[peterk9]

Last week while driving in cold and rainy conditions my front sensors on the bumper froze over resulting in Front Park Assist not being available.
Quite normal under those conditions.

Peter