Multiple sensor failures during and after driving in blizzard. Normal??

[G.O.C.]

Can't find anything in search of archive so here goes...
TLDR version - Multiple sensors failed after driving through blizzard then mostly self healed on the next two trips. Normal? Departure times shifted 12 hours after this event but still display correct time on the screen. Normal?

Full story - Friday while driving from Steamboat Springs CO to Denver area we went through a period of white out blizzard conditions over Rabbit Ears Pass and then just plain old snow and 18 degF for the next 60 or so miles, then as we came down towards Denver the temperature shot up to the low 50s and it got ridiculously windy. (you know a typical Colorado spring day - snow and 18F one minute and sunny and 50 the next) First to go was the collision avoidance sensor just as the white out was clearing, which didn't surprise me as I figured the front of the MME was plastered with snow and ice. Before getting on I-70 in Silverthorne, I cleared both cameras and all the snow off of the body panels. BUT - that did not correct the crash avoidance sensor. Once we got on I-70 I discovered the adaptive cruise control wouldn't function, would kinda made sense had I not cleared the front camera and all the snow? Not sure why that wouldn't work but no big deal.

The real interesting things happened once we were almost out of the mountains and the temperature rose into the upper 40s and the wind buffeting really got severe. We got a series of sensor failures over the next several miles: lane centering, traction control, ABS, blind spot detection, hill start assist, auto hold, one pedal unavailable, and likely a few more I can't recall. By this time there was still no snow or ice on any of the body panels, roof, mirrors, etc. but of course the car was unbelievably filthy from driving through all the prior severe weather.

Even though it was in the 50s when we arrived home, the inside of the wheel wells were still caked with ice, snow, and pea gravel (what CO uses instead of salt). I washed the car on the hypothesis somehow the dirt was messing with the sensors, although front and rear cameras were still clean from before I got on I-70. Washed car, washed out the ice and gravel from the wheel wells and went to pick up the dogs from the kennel. Upon starting the car all the sensors were still failed (hypothesis disproved). Starting within the first block and then over the next few miles one by one all the sensor failure warnings cleared except one pedal and auto hold. During the trip home with the dogs 1 pedal and auto hold decided to resume.

So what were all the sensor failures about? And why did they clear piecemeal over two trips?

The car now seems to be back to normal except - the departure times have shifted by 12 hours although they appear correctly on the Ford App and the dash iPad. so the 7:45 AM departure prep is at 7:45 PM, and the 3:35 PM departure comes on at 3:35 AM the next day... We never got an error message for departure times amongst all the other sensor failures.

Sponsored

 

[hybrid2bev]

You have to clean off the radar for the adaptive cruise and crash avoidance to work. It's in between the grill shutters.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Yes, add the front radar to the list of locations you need to clear off when snow brushing. It will start to have problems once it looks like this:

I think you must have also had some type of failure with the ABS system, perhaps a rock or snow got packed in the wheel speed sensor.

 

[G.O.C.]

You have to clean off the radar for the adaptive cruise and crash avoidance to work. It's in between the grill shutters.

Not 100% sure I cleared snow from that area, but I think I did. Area was quite dirty but not covered with snow/ice when I got home.
But why did all the other sensors fritz out an hour or so later?

 

[G.O.C.]

I think you must have also had some type of failure with the ABS system, perhaps a rock or snow got packed in the wheel speed sensor.

Thanks @Mach-Lee. multiple independent issues seems possible.

I suppose the wheel sensor is certainly likely during the active snowing period for the gravel or snow to get packed in the wheel sensor, it's just odd (to me at least) that the majority of sensor failure messages including the ABS happened once it got warm and windy (and the errors self-cleared in stages independent of anything I can point to...)

And I still need to figure out how to get the departure times back to where they need to be, unless they also fix themselves. I'll find out Tuesday. No departure times set for Mondays.

 

[Claymation]

Can't find anything in search of archive so here goes...
TLDR version - Multiple sensors failed after driving through blizzard then mostly self healed on the next two trips. Normal? Departure times shifted 12 hours after this event but still display correct time on the screen. Normal?

Full story - Friday while driving from Steamboat Springs CO to Denver area we went through a period of white out blizzard conditions over Rabbit Ears Pass and then just plain old snow and 18 degF for the next 60 or so miles, then as we came down towards Denver the temperature shot up to the low 50s and it got ridiculously windy. (you know a typical Colorado spring day - snow and 18F one minute and sunny and 50 the next) First to go was the collision avoidance sensor just as the white out was clearing, which didn't surprise me as I figured the front of the MME was plastered with snow and ice. Before getting on I-70 in Silverthorne, I cleared both cameras and all the snow off of the body panels. BUT - that did not correct the crash avoidance sensor. Once we got on I-70 I discovered the adaptive cruise control wouldn't function, would kinda made sense had I not cleared the front camera and all the snow? Not sure why that wouldn't work but no big deal.

The real interesting things happened once we were almost out of the mountains and the temperature rose into the upper 40s and the wind buffeting really got severe. We got a series of sensor failures over the next several miles: lane centering, traction control, ABS, blind spot detection, hill start assist, auto hold, one pedal unavailable, and likely a few more I can't recall. By this time there was still no snow or ice on any of the body panels, roof, mirrors, etc. but of course the car was unbelievably filthy from driving through all the prior severe weather.

Even though it was in the 50s when we arrived home, the inside of the wheel wells were still caked with ice, snow, and pea gravel (what CO uses instead of salt). I washed the car on the hypothesis somehow the dirt was messing with the sensors, although front and rear cameras were still clean from before I got on I-70. Washed car, washed out the ice and gravel from the wheel wells and went to pick up the dogs from the kennel. Upon starting the car all the sensors were still failed (hypothesis disproved). Starting within the first block and then over the next few miles one by one all the sensor failure warnings cleared except one pedal and auto hold. During the trip home with the dogs 1 pedal and auto hold decided to resume.

So what were all the sensor failures about? And why did they clear piecemeal over two trips?

The car now seems to be back to normal except - the departure times have shifted by 12 hours although they appear correctly on the Ford App and the dash iPad. so the 7:45 AM departure prep is at 7:45 PM, and the 3:35 PM departure comes on at 3:35 AM the next day... We never got an error message for departure times amongst all the other sensor failures.

I had the exact same thing happen to me twice… This time the sensors have not returned working – did you find anything more about this?

 

[G.O.C.]

I had the exact same thing happen to me twice… This time the sensors have not returned working – did you find anything more about this?

I cleaned all the sensors, camera, windshield by mirror and the front area that hides the Lidar. It eventually cleared all error messages after the 2nd restart.
if you’ve cleared all those off and made two short trips and it’s still throwing errors I think it’s time for a service call to the dealer.
The clock never did correct the am/pm I had to do that manually.

 

[jdsimard2012]

In a blizzard this is normal. And to be fair in a blizzard you should be taking control of your vehicle.

Sponsored