There's yet another recall out for certain Ford and Lincoln SUVs, and it concerns the rearview camera again. Only this time, the glitch may also mean that advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that aim to prevent crashes may also fail. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there's a software problem with some 254,640 Explorer, Navigator, Nautilus, and Aviator SUVs, specifically their image processing modules. These may "unexpectedly reset," and if they do, both the rearview camera and several ADAS programs could be compromised, which could mean less warning of potential hazards and result in a crash. Let's take a closer look.
A Quarter-Million Ford & Lincoln SUVs May Lose Driver Aids
Kristen Brown/Autoblog
The recall reports (here and here) state that Image Processing Module A (IPMA) in these vehicles could reset without warning, causing the rearview camera image to be lost and driver aids like pre-collision assist, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring to be lost. Specifically, the recall names the following model years and vehicles:
The problem is described as a "computational overload when tracking a high volume of moving objects in dense vehicle and pedestrian environments," an overload that could then trigger a module reset. During this reset, the vehicles lose the abovementioned driver aids, and multiple module resets over multiple ignition cycles could result in a "persistent" loss of functionality. Most of the time, drivers will know when these ADAS functions are lost because warning messages will appear in the instrument cluster alerting them that there's a front camera fault, the automatic emergency braking system is not available, or the lane-keeping system is off, but another less obvious warning sign is that the blind-spot indicators may light up when there's nothing to beware of.
Ford's ADAS Issue Is a Year Old
Lincoln
Ford first became aware of the trouble with its ADAS suite in March last year and has been investigating ever since. In February and March of this year, Ford met with the NHTSA "several times" to discuss the issue, determining that all warranty claims occurred on a certain configuration of vehicles with five radar sensors. They also found that the issue "primarily occurred on vehicles commonly used in livery and chauffeur applications," concluding that there may be an unknown factor related to how these vehicles were specced.
While more clarity will surely be sought in further investigations, Ford has developed an over-the-air update for owners of affected SUVs, though customers can also avail themselves of the remedy at the dealer. If you own one of these Ford or Lincoln SUVs and have been experiencing similar problems, expect a remedy notification to arrive in the mail sometime between 30 March and April 6. Alternatively, VINs will be searchable this week, from March 25th.
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