Since my last software update to 2020.40.3 I’m seeing a LOT more phantom brake events, many of which I do not understand. I drive the same 45 mile round trip on the interstate every day and would have a phantom brake event every few trips, always at one spot coming up on an overpass. An occasional event outside that which I could easily explain, an example I was in the middle of three lanes (the car seems to like the middle of three lanes) when a large truck followed by a small car merged into the right lane, both vehicles ahead of me. The car would brake and I can easily imagine it trying to figure out if that car was going to jump into my lane ahead of me to get around the slower truck. Being careful like that is probably why it is 1/10th as likely to get in a wreck than if a person is driving unassisted. I get it.
But now I get a dozen brake checks on my round trip and they make no sense. It hard braked this morning when the only vehicle within 500 feet of me was the guy it brake checked behind me, nothing in front or to the sides. No overpass. Zip, nada. And on the way home today I was again in the middle of the three lanes and was overtaking a pickup truck that was in the right lane. We were the only two vehicles in sight, the pickup was in the center of his lane, wasn’t weaving around, speed was about 5 mph slower than mine so it was a slow overtaking. My car braked hard three times before it gingerly crept past the truck, then accelerated back to cruising speed.
Later on that same leg I was in the center lane (did I mention the car likes the center lane?) and the only other vehicle in sight was in the left lane traveling about 5 mph faster than I. It was in the far side of the left lane, hugging the line, nowhere close to me, and wasn’t weaving around at all, and as it passed me my car braked three times, accelerating back to speed only after the car has passed me.
If either vehicle had been crowding my lane or moving back and forth within their lane I could understand it. But that wasn’t the case. If my car were a person I would say it had lost confidence in its ability to perform as simple a pass as there is.
I’m hoping the rewrite makes a big difference.
But now I get a dozen brake checks on my round trip and they make no sense. It hard braked this morning when the only vehicle within 500 feet of me was the guy it brake checked behind me, nothing in front or to the sides. No overpass. Zip, nada. And on the way home today I was again in the middle of the three lanes and was overtaking a pickup truck that was in the right lane. We were the only two vehicles in sight, the pickup was in the center of his lane, wasn’t weaving around, speed was about 5 mph slower than mine so it was a slow overtaking. My car braked hard three times before it gingerly crept past the truck, then accelerated back to cruising speed.
Later on that same leg I was in the center lane (did I mention the car likes the center lane?) and the only other vehicle in sight was in the left lane traveling about 5 mph faster than I. It was in the far side of the left lane, hugging the line, nowhere close to me, and wasn’t weaving around at all, and as it passed me my car braked three times, accelerating back to speed only after the car has passed me.
If either vehicle had been crowding my lane or moving back and forth within their lane I could understand it. But that wasn’t the case. If my car were a person I would say it had lost confidence in its ability to perform as simple a pass as there is.
I’m hoping the rewrite makes a big difference.
