Parking sensors freak out in traffic

[TiJazz]

I finally caught this on video...

Sometimes I get frantic beeping from the PDC sensors while sat in traffic, followed by flat lining when the car in front drives away. Is this normal for the Jazz or is mine broken?

I’ve checked the front sensors and they’re clean - the car has been doing this since new.

In case anyone suggests cleaning the camera - based on the alert UI, this seems to be a PDC sensor alert not FCWS - and the “autopilot” stuff works just fine, so I know the vision system is okay

[Steve P]

Mine will beep in traffic if I'm really close to the car in front, but not at that distance.

I'd  be getting my dealer to give it a once over if I were you, make sure they see the vid so they can't say 'they all do that sir'

They certainly don't.

[TiJazz]

Figured as much. It did it in the lot the day we picked it up too, but we were just glad to have it before everything shut (December) so didn’t question it at the time.

In the meantime I’ll just switch the PDC sensors off unless parking, cheers

[richardfrost]

Would seem to be set to much too great a range. On my Toyota I have to under about 1.5m before they go off.

[Kremmen]

Same on my Civic. I only get beeped at when a bike pulls in front as I stay back to avoid exhaust fumes in stationary traffic. You do have a fault there IMO.

[ColinB]

In the video, the stopped car is directly ahead of you, but the display shows an obstacle to the offside. Also there's a minimum distance of operation (for the Mk3 it's around 1m, probably similar for the Mk4) and the car ahead of you is outside that range. So there's clearly a fault, my guess would be a duff front offside sensor. Also note that the reason the warning ceases is not because the car ahead has moved out of range, but because you've exceeded the 5mph maximum speed for the PDC system.

[Kremmen]

Put the car in drive, handbrake on, in a clear area and get someone to walk round the front at various distances and angles.

That should determine any issues.

[Bristol_Crosstar]

The video doesn't show what's happening behind, if there is a car which moved forward earlier that could be causing the  continuous beep. I only have the sensors switched on for parking else they make a racket while I'm putting the car in the garage.

[ColinB]

The video doesn't show what's happening behind, if there is a car which moved forward earlier that could be causing the  continuous beep.

The display shows where the car thinks the obstacle is, and that's front offside, not behind.

[TiJazz]

Put the car in drive, handbrake on, in a clear area and get someone to walk round the front at various distances and angles.

That should determine any issues.

It seems to be intermittent - it doesn’t do it in every traffic jam. Hopefully the dealer can diagnose it and won’t just bounce it back as “intermittent/unable to reproduce”

[Westy36]

That is very distracting. I hope the dealer gets that sorted for you asap.

 

[Zaier]

Mine doesn't behave like that, if they are clean then there must be something wrong in you car.