The driver is afraid to use her new car after automatically applying emergency brakes while driving
A frightened driver branded her new car with a death trap after automatically applying an emergency brake.
Helen Abbott slams Romanian automaker Dacia, accusing them of refuting her alleged Phantom Braking fear.
She said she has been unable to drive the 2023 Dacia Jogger safely since the incident 10 weeks ago and was worried that it could lead to highway buildup if it happens again.
Mrs. Abbott’s SUV is equipped with an “Active Emergency Braking” (AEB) system that detects a potential collision before kicking in and hitting the brakes.
However, the 55-year-old thought her motor was malfunctioning and said the brakes triggered in the empty Milton Keynes parking lot as she drove into the shadow of the bridge.
Fortunately, she was driving very slowly and there was no one behind, but the shock caused her to be whipped and injured.
She said the car had braked randomly before, but it was the first time she had caught it on the camera.
“I’m scared of driving. Ever since basically been sitting in the driveway,” Mrs. Abbott added.
Helen Abbott was frightened by her Dacia Jogger, who claimed to activate the emergency braking system due to the shadows
Mrs. Abbott, 55, said she was too worried now because she was worried that it would accidentally trigger its brake system, causing a crash
The incident occurred on February 28. She called up the RAC, and when she showed the video to the recovered, he thought the vehicle was unsafe and dragged it to the garage.
The garage ran the diagnosis but found nothing wrong, but Mrs. Abbott said they were also shocked when they saw the dashboard video.
Dacia sent an engineer to look at the car, but after 28 miles of road tests, he found nothing wrong.
They cite many conditions that may affect the braking system in the manual, including “complex environments” such as bridges or tunnels, and in adverse weather such as snow or black ice.
In this case, they said, “the system may not respond and may warn the driver or may brake inadvertently.”
Mrs. Abbott said: “This is not the first time it happened, but this is the first time I have put it in front of the camera.
“The first time I wasn’t sure what happened, I thought my dog had pressed a button.
“The second time it didn’t trigger it, I think it was wrong. That was the third time.
She claimed to have activated emergency brakes in an empty parking lot in February, catching cars in the movie
The picture shows the moment Mrs. Abbott claimed to have grabbed her car emergency braking system
“No cars are moving, no people, no bicycles, it’s a sunny day. The only thing that can trigger it is the shadow on the bridge.
“I wasn’t fast, thankfully there was no one behind me, but my neck was still bad for weeks after the sudden braking.
Dacia said it was normal, just quoted something in the manual, but sorry, it wasn’t normal. I find them so complacent about it, which is incredible.
“The dealers we purchased from the dealers that diagnosed the diagnosis could not find any errors, but when they saw the video they said this shouldn’t happen.
“We’ve shown everyone who sees it as dangerous.
“You can’t completely disconnect the system because it is a security feature.
“Every time I start the engine I have to turn off the automatic braking system and I worry and then turn on a whole can of worms – would you be held responsible if you turn it off and something happened?
“We could have swapped the parts, but doing so we would lose, which means the car is still there.
“I don’t want to be the one who sells my car and then piles up on the highway.
Mrs. Abbott once slammed Romanian car company Dacia on her SUV
“I’m really wary now, not just our own cars. If I see Dacia, I will keep my distance.
“This seems to be a bigger problem, and others have asked similar questions. I can’t surround Dacia’s attitude. ”
Mrs. Abbott has reported the issue to the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and has raised the issue with her MP Emily Darlington.
Ms Darlington said: “No one should feel unsafe, especially when they repeat, raise concerns well and are silent or fired.”
She told Mrs. Abbott that she would write to DVSA, requesting an update, contacted Dacia’s parent company Renault to push for an appropriate response, and asked questions with the Department of Transportation.
Mrs. Abbott claimed she was not the only one affected. After joining the Facebook group of the same model owner, she found five other people saying they had similar experience in Phantom Braking.
A spokesperson for Dacia UK said: “We take Mrs. Abbott’s concerns very seriously, so we conducted extensive road tests with our experts in-house technicians. We have replicated driving conditions, including driving under the bridge, and cannot replicate braking.
It is well known that certain conditions can interfere with active emergency braking operations, such as: a complex environment (bridges, tunnels, etc.), poor weather (snow, hail, black ice, etc.) and blockage of radar areas (through dirt, ice, snow, condensation, etc.).
“This is not unique to our brand, as many automakers use similar technologies to meet legal standards for safety regulations.
“In this case, the system may not respond, may warn the driver or may brake unintentionally.”
A DVSA spokesperson said: “The first priority of DVSA is to help everyone drive safely throughout their lives.
“We are currently investigating complaints related to Dacia Jogger.
“We have asked manufacturers to investigate this and we are waiting for their response.”
