Yesterday my wife and I went to the grand opening of the new Findlay Subaru dealership in Prescott Arizona. They asked us if we wanted a ride along demo of how the eyesight system works. The salesman was to drive at a large airbag target at about 25 mph to show us the automatic braking of the eyesight system. Well the demo failed as he hit the airbag. There was a large crowd around and it was on film. It freaked my wife out. The driver said the failure was probably due to having three passengers instead of the normal one passenger ride along. He stated that weight makes a difference in how the system operates. I talked my wife into giving it a second chance before she bailed on the demo. She has this system in her 2015 Forester and has never had it actuate. The other passenger had it on their Outback and wanted to experience it. The second try was a success. Has anyone else experienced a system failure during an airbag target demo? Could additional weight cause the failure? The demo vehicle was a white premium Ascent. The driver had done the demo many times in California. The sun was behind the vehicle as it was driving north about noon.
EyeSight Demo Failure at Grand Opening
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I did not see in Eyesight manual a warning/message/statement stating that system behavior is dependent on number of passengers. If fact when my wife & kids are in the car (or carpooling with friends) safety systems become much more important to me.
I am sure extra weight may change stopping distance from the pure physics. But Eyesight failing completely due to number of passengers in the car makes no sense to me personally. But of course there are many other unknown factors. I would like to see a video you mentioned above.
In 2016 Forester "obstacle detected" warning did come on several occasions, when:
1. I drive into garage prior garage prior to door fully opening (but I know the garage's door speed, so I won't hit the door)
2. when car in front of me slowing down, but I am not (again, because I can judge when I need to start applying brakes).
Once a huge truck cut in front of our Ascent on an a very long hilly road (truck drove way slower then us and two lanes were merging into one). So distance was closing very, very fast. All bells and whistles went on (head on displays LEDs were actually pretty cool), but since I was in control, I slowed down and system did not activate.
All of the above gave me sufficient confidence that systems are working as expected. The truck/Ascent was as close to real test as I have ever been so far.
But so far I have never been in the situation when system fully activated.
On Ascent as a test of RAB, I tried to back up into to obstacle (large blanket hang between two garbage bins). Car stopped as it suppose to. I tried it twice.
I personally love having all these safety systems ( and would never buy a car without them), but I rather not rely on any of them and retain ultimate driving responsibility
I am sure extra weight may change stopping distance from the pure physics. But Eyesight failing completely due to number of passengers in the car makes no sense to me personally. But of course there are many other unknown factors. I would like to see a video you mentioned above.
In 2016 Forester "obstacle detected" warning did come on several occasions, when:
1. I drive into garage prior garage prior to door fully opening (but I know the garage's door speed, so I won't hit the door)
2. when car in front of me slowing down, but I am not (again, because I can judge when I need to start applying brakes).
Once a huge truck cut in front of our Ascent on an a very long hilly road (truck drove way slower then us and two lanes were merging into one). So distance was closing very, very fast. All bells and whistles went on (head on displays LEDs were actually pretty cool), but since I was in control, I slowed down and system did not activate.
All of the above gave me sufficient confidence that systems are working as expected. The truck/Ascent was as close to real test as I have ever been so far.
But so far I have never been in the situation when system fully activated.
On Ascent as a test of RAB, I tried to back up into to obstacle (large blanket hang between two garbage bins). Car stopped as it suppose to. I tried it twice.
I personally love having all these safety systems ( and would never buy a car without them), but I rather not rely on any of them and retain ultimate driving responsibility
You have a link to the video? Bet that'd be something to watch.
Salespeople often amaze me with the stupid things they say but that one takes the cake, by a wide margin. The safety of ALL passengers is paramount and this vehicle is designed to operate with 8 people. The idea that it only works with less than 3 passengers is as ridiculous as it gets. So no, that has absolutely nothing to do with how the system operates.
They need to get that vehicle checked out as something is wrong!
They need to get that vehicle checked out as something is wrong!
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Very odd...
While cargo weight will affect stopping distance, which isn't directly Eyesight related, but affects how quickly the Ascent can stop the car, no, the system failing to operate at all has absolutely nothing to do with how much cargo was in the car.
Additionally, the Eyesight system is capable of easily stopping Subies at 25mph, with three passengers in it.
Failure to activate is either caused by:
I've never heard of #2 happening. Even the slightest of things turns off all collision avoidance and driver assist technologies, and lights up the dashboard like a Christmas tree on fire. :tango_face_wink:
There may be other reasons, but this is very very very odd.
Eyesight literally beats ALL of the competition, including much more expensive cars, such as the Tesla Model S and Cadillac CT6 (as well as the Camry, Honda systems, Nissan's systems, etc). With the Ascent's really beefy brakes and great stopping distance, I expect it performs similarly to the way Eyesight does in every other Subaru model there is (in other words, trounces the competition). So, I'm surprised by this, and wondering if it was user error.
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Now, if what you're saying is that it couldn't stop the car quick enough, that's really really odd. And baffling. Forward or reverse, I have not found that to be the case.
On an anecdotal note:
I've had Eyesight activate multiple times (warnings) and apply the brakes twice out of those times (the others were cars cutting across my lane, or me accelerating too quickly from a stop at a light for its liking.
While cargo weight will affect stopping distance, which isn't directly Eyesight related, but affects how quickly the Ascent can stop the car, no, the system failing to operate at all has absolutely nothing to do with how much cargo was in the car.
Additionally, the Eyesight system is capable of easily stopping Subies at 25mph, with three passengers in it.
Failure to activate is either caused by:
- User error: forgot to turn the system on
- Catastrophic multiple simultaneous failures: An Eyesight error that none of the other systems detected, thus no warnings being shown.
I've never heard of #2 happening. Even the slightest of things turns off all collision avoidance and driver assist technologies, and lights up the dashboard like a Christmas tree on fire. :tango_face_wink:
There may be other reasons, but this is very very very odd.
Eyesight literally beats ALL of the competition, including much more expensive cars, such as the Tesla Model S and Cadillac CT6 (as well as the Camry, Honda systems, Nissan's systems, etc). With the Ascent's really beefy brakes and great stopping distance, I expect it performs similarly to the way Eyesight does in every other Subaru model there is (in other words, trounces the competition). So, I'm surprised by this, and wondering if it was user error.
Now, if what you're saying is that it couldn't stop the car quick enough, that's really really odd. And baffling. Forward or reverse, I have not found that to be the case.
On an anecdotal note:
I've had Eyesight activate multiple times (warnings) and apply the brakes twice out of those times (the others were cars cutting across my lane, or me accelerating too quickly from a stop at a light for its liking.
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Did the airbag have a picture of a car or person on it?
The system does (at least should) not care how many people are in the car but it may have problems with a white airbag vs something that looks like a car/truck/person that it is programmed to identify. My understanding is the eyesight system is visual based not radar based so I would not expect it to pick up on effectively a white sheet against white clouds or blue sky. It's looking for objects that it has been programmed to recognize.
I have yet to have it stop our car but I have had it engage the warning "obstacle detected" on occasion just prior to me putting my foot on the brake pedal.
The system does (at least should) not care how many people are in the car but it may have problems with a white airbag vs something that looks like a car/truck/person that it is programmed to identify. My understanding is the eyesight system is visual based not radar based so I would not expect it to pick up on effectively a white sheet against white clouds or blue sky. It's looking for objects that it has been programmed to recognize.
I have yet to have it stop our car but I have had it engage the warning "obstacle detected" on occasion just prior to me putting my foot on the brake pedal.
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Did it blow through the bag like it wasn't detected, or did it attempt to stop but not in time?
My former 16 Legacy had Eyesight. I had it activate once when I brushed against a low hanging branch on the passenger side. Then again, it didn't activate when I went through an automatic car wash and forgot to disable the pre-collision braking one time.
In the airbag demos I've seen online, there usually is a picture of the rear end of an Outback printed on the airbags. And in the demo, they have the driver hit the airbag with Eyesight disabled, and then do it a second time with Eyesight enabled. I've also seen some demos by owners themselves using a large empty cardboard box.
In the airbag demos I've seen online, there usually is a picture of the rear end of an Outback printed on the airbags. And in the demo, they have the driver hit the airbag with Eyesight disabled, and then do it a second time with Eyesight enabled. I've also seen some demos by owners themselves using a large empty cardboard box.
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Yeah, this is what I was thinking. Either EyeSight was manually disabled (it was disabled by the person I did the test drive with before I got in the car) or my guess is that it didn't acquire.
While EyeSight is an important feature, I can't stress enough:
It is a driver aide. It is not meant to replace you as the driver.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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I've had mine activate multiple times since owning the Ascent. Questionable driving? Maybe! It activates nearly ever time when a car is turning right and I let off the gas and roll towards the car turning right. It feels I am approaching to fast and I've had it tap the brakes for a hot second and then let off when the car vanishes. I have since learned to not do that.
It also activates when I accelerate too fast towards a car. In that instance it cuts off the throttle.
My two car garage is 18X19 and is very tight for two cars. I keep my fat bike in front of the Subaru. If a roll into the garage at more than a crawl it picks up the shelves and wall and starts beeping at me.
I would take the comment of the driver with a lot of "doubt" he probably had no clue what happened and was trying to justify it to you. This would imply that the Ascent knows how much weight is in it and if that is the case you would think eyesight would account for it and start braking earlier since more weight means you increased stopping distance. I don't think that is a feature of the Eyesight system. It relies on a distance from object and speed calculation to determine if it should start stopping.
Prior to slamming on the brakes it flashes red indicators on the windshield, shows an icon on the dash, and by default beeps "all angry" at you. My guess is that eyesight didn't identify the bag as an obstacle. I am no justifying the failure in any way, I just think that a bag with a car picture on it isn't as identifiable as a real outline of car. I thought this was the reason that dealers stopped doing this demo, because it was hit or miss from time to time.
On a side note the dealer I bought mine from does the reverse assisted braking demo with a plastic K-rail. Granted this uses a different system, but we tried it in an Outback and it worked like a charm.
It also activates when I accelerate too fast towards a car. In that instance it cuts off the throttle.
My two car garage is 18X19 and is very tight for two cars. I keep my fat bike in front of the Subaru. If a roll into the garage at more than a crawl it picks up the shelves and wall and starts beeping at me.
I would take the comment of the driver with a lot of "doubt" he probably had no clue what happened and was trying to justify it to you. This would imply that the Ascent knows how much weight is in it and if that is the case you would think eyesight would account for it and start braking earlier since more weight means you increased stopping distance. I don't think that is a feature of the Eyesight system. It relies on a distance from object and speed calculation to determine if it should start stopping.
Prior to slamming on the brakes it flashes red indicators on the windshield, shows an icon on the dash, and by default beeps "all angry" at you. My guess is that eyesight didn't identify the bag as an obstacle. I am no justifying the failure in any way, I just think that a bag with a car picture on it isn't as identifiable as a real outline of car. I thought this was the reason that dealers stopped doing this demo, because it was hit or miss from time to time.
On a side note the dealer I bought mine from does the reverse assisted braking demo with a plastic K-rail. Granted this uses a different system, but we tried it in an Outback and it worked like a charm.
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OMG! Totally forgot!!!!
Eyesight turns itself off after the third time you try to crash into something! If they weren't counting and weren't resetting each third time, it will turn itself off and ignore what you're trying to crash into!!!
Dunno how I forgot. Thanks for helping me remember.
The eyesight was not deactivated. We plowed into the bag while it stopped us. We did not blast through the bag so it was partially working. Heard the salesman mention editing out that footage. Not sure if he was serious. The photographer was from the event group that staged the demos. The driver had done the demo several times before. Maybe you can contact Findlay Subaru to view the footage. The Ascent was locked up after our demo and I believe no more demos were given. The driver said we probably hit the bag at about 15mph while stopping. Subaru should analyze the footage from a safety standpoint. The event was first class. We even won a couple of nice door prizes. Am still planning on buying the Ascent.
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I think you might misunderstand what Robert's reply was. EyeSight is designed to disable itself after a few "activations" because of driver inattentiveness. It's a fail-safe in the system in case it bugs out. So, I think the point was that if you've been "atypically" trying to crash into things, after a few attempts, it'll deactivate. I believe it stays off for either a set amount of time, or until you turn the car off and on. It's possible that this was the case.
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Same question.
What was on the bag? Any picture of a car or just a bag?
New question.
How fast were you going? If it were 50+ that seems like a solid performance.
There was an image of a car on the bag. The car was turned off between demos. I was not driving. The driver was the experienced demonstrator who told us he was not going to touch the brakes. The speed was 25 mph. The system was active as it stopped the car. Just not soon enough.
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Thank you for all the answers. It'll be interesting for them to determine what happened. I mean, it happens, from time to time, with all driver assist systems, and Subarus are not immune from the occasional time it takes the system too long to recognize and acquire an object.
This is hilarious! Obvious user error with an inexperienced salesman.
We have a couple large shipping boxes with a large picture of the back of a car strapped to them. We demo the eyesight system quite often and there are 14 of us salesman/women that have never hit it once. Then there is one gentleman among us that hit the boxes at least a dozen times before he realized he was actually turning off the eyesight system when he thought he was putting it in demo mode (I have no idea where he got that idea).
But at least it wasn't as bad as this:
We have a couple large shipping boxes with a large picture of the back of a car strapped to them. We demo the eyesight system quite often and there are 14 of us salesman/women that have never hit it once. Then there is one gentleman among us that hit the boxes at least a dozen times before he realized he was actually turning off the eyesight system when he thought he was putting it in demo mode (I have no idea where he got that idea).
But at least it wasn't as bad as this:
Jason,
You being a retailer can contact the Subaru road show crew and Findlay Subaru to discuss what happened and the experience level of the driver. He was very experienced with over 50 demos. He was not a dealership salesperson. If you do contact the dealer please find out what is happening with the video. I believe this is the same crew that does the big national shows. They had all of the large displays you see at the big shows. It was a large event.
You being a retailer can contact the Subaru road show crew and Findlay Subaru to discuss what happened and the experience level of the driver. He was very experienced with over 50 demos. He was not a dealership salesperson. If you do contact the dealer please find out what is happening with the video. I believe this is the same crew that does the big national shows. They had all of the large displays you see at the big shows. It was a large event.
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Weight inside the car will not affect it. We've done many eyesight demos with four people inside the car.
We were at the Forester ride and drive and had an eyesight failure with an airbag once. The wind was blowing and it made the airbag move just enough that the eyesight system didn't recognize until too late the obstacle.
Eyesight will disable itself if it activates more than 3 times and has to be reset by restarting the car. It's possible that this is what happened - they were doing demos and forgot. Although it should have been rather obvious on the instrument cluster.
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