cruise control/autopilot radar sensor or camera(s) is obstructed.

[M3MISEA]

What does this mean? I have looked at the user manual and I can't figure out why we keep getting this error. We are new to this and it's not at all clear why it's happening. I confirmed there is nothing obstructing the cameras (the car is new and it works/then doesn't).
thanks!

 

[goto10]

Is this a message you are getting on the display?

Your car has one radar sensor, eight cameras, and twelve sonar sensors. If you don't actually have an obstruction then it's probably a bad sensor/camera or a loose connection.

 

[M3MISEA]

yes, that's the message i'm getting on my display - something about the front radar unavailable due to impaired visibility. I tried it several times today and it didn't work and then it started working and stopped working in the middle of driving. we have 120 miles on the car - it worked fine from 40-119 miles....

 

[Derek Kessler]

So you have a bunch of debris (mud, bugs, etc) on the front of the car? The radar is behind the front bumper cover (the Model S radar is just to the right of the license plate holder when looking from the front, not sure about the 3) and if there's too much crud — or just one big and unfortunately placed crud – it can render the radar inoperable.

Source: I had that happen driving an S across the desert. Smacked into a large dragonfly square on the radar, cruise control was disabled until I removed the bug.

 

[SkagitDoug]

AS long as "cruise control" is in your subject line, can someone please confirm whether -- as on good German cars -- cruise control can be set as low as 20 MPH? A Mercedes and many BMWs I've owned in the past allowed me to set the cruise control to maintain a 20 MPH setpoint. Thanks!

 

[jsmay311]

AS long as "cruise control" is in your subject line, can someone please confirm whether -- as on good German cars -- cruise control can be set as low as 20 MPH? A Mercedes and many BMWs I've owned in the past allowed me to set the cruise control to maintain a 20 MPH setpoint. Thanks!

It’s 18 mph. On page 61 of the manual.

 

[SkagitDoug]

Thanks, jsmay311, I'm now looking forward to delivery of my Model 3!