- Mazda is recalling almost 10,000 vehicles due to false detection of objects in the automatic braking system.
- The automaker believes that only one percent of the recall population suffers from the issue.
- The remedy is a software update to improve the logic surrounding object detection.
Technology has provided us with several excellent driver safety aids but they’re still far from perfect. In the case of nearly 10,000 Mazda CX-90 SUVs, automatic emergency braking software might actually cause accidents. That’s because it might engage improperly even when there’s no reason to slow down.
It’s one thing to slam on the brakes when an accident could be imminent, but a whole other thing to do it randomly. According to Mazda, it learned of a potential issue in January of 2023. It doesn’t disclose exactly what led to its investigation but by June of last year, it implemented an update to its Vehicle Control Module (VCM) aimed at fixing the issue. However, that fix ended up not being sufficient, Mazda says.
Read: VinFast Crash That Killed California Family Sparks Federal Investigation
The automaker made another change to the VCM in August of 2023 and between October and April of this year, it’s been testing and analyzing data. As a result, Mazda determined that recalling these vehicles was the right move. In total, 9,914 CX-90s are included in the recall population. Dealers will reprogram the VCM in each car to prevent the false detection of objects that could trigger the automatic emergency braking system.
Mazda says that it isn’t aware of any field reports of incidents or accidents like this in the USA but it took us almost no time to find a few. On the CX90Forum.com multiple members complain of a similar sounding problem. One says “I was driving in the mountains in Virginia (vehicle was only a month old). Attempted to pass a transport truck at around 80 MPH – as soon as I got close to the truck, the CX-90 slammed on the brakes – hard and fast. Nothing in front of me.”
On the NHTSA website, one complaint about the CX-90 is also pretty dead on. “When using adaptive cruise control on multiple lane highways/freeways the vehicle detects other cars/trucks that are in other lanes as being in your lane. (Shows on the dash display as in your lane). This fools the vehicle into believing it needs to make an emergency brake as a vehicle is in your lane and a crash is imminent when no such maneuver is necessary,” it says.
Hopefully, Mazda can get this sorted out for good as these systems can save lives but they need to function properly to do so.
