Question about Forward Collision avoidance system

I noticed that I was able to drive right up my homemade ramps which are just 3 2x8 boards of varying lengths with the ends cut at an angle. If this system was working correctly shouldn't it have warned me or applied the brakes when it noticed an obstacle in front of it?

Our Subaru surprised me when doing the first oil change by not letting me drive up the ramps until I read the manual and shut of the system with a dash button. The Tacoma will let you run something or someone over without a peep!

 

How fast were you going? It only works once you are at 10 mph or so.

 

Mine has worked when a ding dong decided a wild turkeys life is more important than mine and others on the highway. It ended with the person getting surrounded by the single finger salute from all sides.

 

Just wait until you’re driving along at 3 AM on the freeway and it starts chirping at you to break break break. Of course, there was nothing in the way just a little reminder to not fall asleep behind the wheel apparently.

 

I'm not sure how the systems each work, but I'd venture a guess that the Tacoma's sensor is higher than the Subaru's sensor so it may not have been an issue.

 

I was going very slow, just going up then ramps. There are no stops at the end of the ramps since I had to remove them so I could jump the curb with my 04 Camry and park on the grass when the driveway was being paved. Someday I'll cut some wood and add the stops again! I really expected it to be similar to the Subaru system. The Subaru Legacy is lower but the ramps were pushed up against the tires when starting out and it still correctly detected the obstacle. The Tacoma really does not deserve a insurance discount as you could run over a a child or pet without a warning. The radar must be the sensor both vehicles use for this as many low obstacles would be out of the camera sight.

The adaptive cruise control also works differently on the Tacoma as when the car in front slows down, it will break smoothly until the forward car slow below a certain point, maybe 30 mph. The Subaru will slow to a stop if necessary and when traffic starts moving will accelerate on its own if you don't touch the brake. Much safer since when the Tacoma shuts off the system and beeps it feels like you are all of a sudden going faster. Having your foot above the brake pedal ready to stop is a must for a Tacoma. I'm assuming all Toyotas have this same system?

 

Mine shut it's self off and came back on later, twice, when I was driving in a Michigan monsoon. Goofy shit.



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You should be doing that anyway if you're moving slowly and worried about running over a child or pet without warning.

But yes, all Tacomas starting in 2018 have this same system.

 

The pre-collision system is slightly different than the pedestrian detection system as far as I can tell. The pre-collision system uses a forward camera and laser to determine if you're going to hit something, alerts you to brake, and then brakes for you if you don't. For smaller objects that the PCS misses, there is a millimeter wave radar in the front grille that analyzes the size, shape, and motion of the object and determines if it's a vulnerable person or pet and applies the brakes as necessary. My guess is static ramps didn't meet the criteria as something dangerous to drive over to the truck, which in my mind is a win. Maybe try running over a small child to verify? It would be interesting to test running over different objects to see what triggers it. I would hope a doll or similar human/animal shape would trigger it if it's true that the system is that sophisticated to differentiate, sounds like Subaru's system is more basic where any object in front = danger.

Personally my experience has been similar to others, I've had a few "hiccups" where it yelled at me to brake and then applied the brakes for no apparent reason, maybe three times in three years of ownership. As long as it doesn't cause me to get rear-ended, I think it's a nice system to have, but it seems that by no means is it infallible. I would rather it not slow to a complete stop and resume cruise on it's own personally (wouldn't work with my manual trans anyways), just seems like another excuse for people to stare at their phones and avoid the responsibility of paying attention when driving if it does everything for you. I'm sure it's all just a testing grounds for manufacturers for self driving cars of the future, and will continue to be refined.

I'm actually slowly warming up to the idea of self driving cars, as I work on highway construction projects, and it's abundantly clear that at least 1/3 of the population should be unfit to hold a drivers license. Driving the wrong way down the highway, going backwards through J-turn intersections, and driving into freshly poured concrete (behind a mass of barricades) has me fearing for my safety on a near daily basis. Since most people need to drive in some capacity for work, errands, etc. combined with the difficulties of functional public transportation in a nation as spread out as the US, it seems that revoking people's licenses for being absolutely brain-dead drivers is never going to happen. My buddy's wife does physical therapy for the elderly, and part of her job description is giving recommendations to the primary physician on whether or not her patients are fit to hold a drivers license. She said in 95% of cases if she recommends revoking their license, the doctor overrides it and allows them to keep driving. Personally, I'd rather put my life in the hands of a computer when I'm working on the side of the road than leaving it to the masses to be more attentive drivers. I think we're at least a decade or more away from these systems becoming reliable, and I'm not sure they'll ever make work properly in the winter time in the midwest, when people's driving skills are at their worst.

 

Almost 4 years with the 2019 Legacy and we have never had it apply the brakes for no reason. Same system since 2015 and it's more advanced that my 2023 Tacoma which cost over 6k more. I don't use the Subaru cruise control a lot or let it fully stop and start but I know someone who uses it in the city and loves it. The Forward Collision can be disabled with a simple dash button without having to find it buried in a menu system. I was hoping this Tacoma would have up to date technology but then again, my 2009 Tacoma's stability control and traction control never worked as well as my 2004 Camry's systems, especially in the snow.

 

I remember when RAM first implemented this type of system. It wouldn't even allow one reviewer to properly turn around on a dirt road because it kept stopping for the grass during the turnaround. I'd like to think the systems have gotten a little more advanced since then though.

 

Sounds like you need another subaru

 

That $6k isn't going into the collision avoidance system though. It has been standard since 2018 and likely very little updates to the Tacoma one since then. In vehicles I've rented it has worked well and never activated unnecessarily (although sometimes annoyingly). There's a chance they've changed it for 2024 with the new trucks coming to market.

But, as was suggested before, perhaps the Tacoma system is a bit more complicated than the Subaru one. Not to mention the different size properties of the vehicles requiring different programming parameters. RAM's first system would stop the truck for things as minor grass. A former roommate of mine used a rental RAM for work shortly after that system came out and was not too pleased when the truck kept slamming on the brakes as he was leading a convoy of trucks down an uneven plank road to their jobsite.

 

The Subaru system is super sensitive though. Our '19 Outback yells at me creeping forward to the garage when the door is still opening and also yells at me thinking I'm gonna hit my toolboxes

 

I don't even have the words for this.

 

Yeah, do this. For science…..

 

Let's see what happens if trys running over some cardboard boxes.

 

I can't see relying on such a system, and then complaining about the way it's designed/programmed.

 

I did install the Anytime Front Camera since the high hood makes it hard to park close.
Maybe I'll borrow one of the neighbors larger dolls and test both vehicles to see if they detect it!

 

Brake