Auto Braking Creates Snag in Automatic Car Wash Systems

Autobraking is a safety feature that we would all like to have in our cars. Manufacturers claim that auto braking can reduce rear-end collisions by 30 per cent and when accidents do occur, they can reduce the impact of accidents as they slow vehicles down when they detect the possibility of an impending collision. However, autobraking is becoming a matter of concern for owners of 14 vehicle models as the feature creates complications for these vehicles in automatic car washes.

When they are going through the drying process and are faced with a wall of spinning rags, or when they detect the power dryers in an automatic car wash, they sense the possibility of an accident and mistakenly hit the brakes. This results in collisions and other damage to the vehicle. Automatic car washes use mechanisms to push the vehicle forward when the car is in neutral.  And the automatic braking system can cause vehicles to get stuck midway through the washing process. Sometimes, the vehicles collide with other vehicles in the washing queue.

Vehicles made by many leading manufacturers such as BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Tesla, Toyota, Volvo, Acura, Lexus, RAM, Range Rover, Subaru have been mentioned by BestRide.com as having this issue with the automatic braking system.

The leading automotive manufacturers and regulators in the United States had agreed to make forward collision prevention features a standard feature in most light-duty cars and trucks by the 2022 model year. Though this is definitely a welcome move, owners of automatic car washes and automotive manufacturers need to collaborate on finding ways to prevent this excellent safety feature from causing damage during the washing process when it becomes activated without due cause.