Pre-Collision Assist Not Available... really?!

[Barryb54]

Long story made short, we hit a deer at low speed (30mph) that fortunately just damaged the front black lower panel in the bumper. It knocked out a 4x6" piece of plastic that luckily lodged in the cavity behind it. That cavity houses the electronics/sensors for proximity & other functionality. That sensor sits in a bracket & was knocked off it but incredibly, undamaged. Simply clipped it back in place & all errors went away. Full functionality was restored. Since the full replacement panel is $1200 + labor, I elected to have my body shop glue the knockout back in place. They did an incredible job, but... turns out that the darn sensor is CRAZY sensitive. I'm now getting the Pre-Collision Assist Not Available error again after the car is operational for 3-5 minutes (not on immediate start up). More specifically, the error further explains:

"Your forward collision alert is on due to a blockage in front of the vehicle, the area you are driving in may not support this feature or fault with the sensor. The pre-collision system may not respond to pedestrians, stationary or moving vehicles. Your vehicle is drivable but not all driver assist features are active."

Importantly, cruise control is inoperable. Again, everything worked perfectly when there was an open hole in this panel, but now that the plastic piece is back in place, it's toast. Also, everything works for the first 3-5 minutes before the error eventually pops up. My Ford dealer Mach-E service specialist says this is beyond his knowledge. Any ideas before I go spend upwards of $1500+ to fix? Any way to dial back the sensitivity of the forward prox sensors? A thousand thanks in advance!!!

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[Mach-Lee]

You can try recalibrating the cruise radar to see if that fixes it, but the cruise radar sensor does need to be mounted perfectly vertical with a reasonable degree of precision.

It's also possible the body shop did something during the repair to affect the sensor. They could have knocked it loose again if they were pounding or popping something in. If they used any metal anywhere, or certain adhesives it may block the signal.

Fixing it properly may end up being the only way to restore functionality.

 

[Barryb54]

You can try recalibrating the cruise radar to see if that fixes it, but the cruise radar sensor does need to be mounted perfectly vertical with a reasonable degree of precision.

It's also possible the body shop did something during the repair to affect the sensor. They could have knocked it loose again if they were pounding or popping something in. If they used any metal anywhere, or certain adhesives it may block the signal.

Fixing it properly may end up being the only way to restore functionality.

Mach-Lee: Thx for the response. They obvious used adhesive but no metal. And I told them about being very careful with the sensor from the experience before in remounting it. Interestingly, the error hasn’t triggered this morning yet. Can it auto recalibrate itself? Or is it more likely an intermittent affair? Obviously, if it comes back, I’ll have to replace the panel. Do you know if the louvres on the right & left are operational? Are the used for regulated airflow to the batteries??

Thx again!!

 

[Mach-Lee]

Mach-Lee: Thx for the response. They obvious used adhesive but no metal. And I told them about being very careful with the sensor from the experience before in remounting it. Interestingly, the error hasn’t triggered this morning yet. Can it auto recalibrate itself? Or is it more likely an intermittent affair? Obviously, if it comes back, I’ll have to replace the panel. Do you know if the louvres on the right & left are operational? Are the used for regulated airflow to the batteries??

The cruise radar does have a limited amount of self-calibrating capacity. You'll have to drive it on a flat highway or interstate for 10+ miles and hope it sorts itself out.

The grille shutters do need to open, they provide air to the radiator. Check that they open immediately when you plug in the car, and with the A/C running. The grille shutters are critical for cooling. Do not drive the vehicle if the grille shutters don't open, you could overheat the motors, the inverter, the A/C compressor, etc.

 

[Barryb54]

Again, thx for the info. Yes, the vents open when charging & I would think do the same when the AC is running (not running at the moment here in the northeast). And I just might get lucky if it recalibrates itself. We shall see!

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