New Car/Truck Auto Braking WTF

So out new car shopping yesterday for the wife.
Come to find out that auto braking is now standard on several models, some can not be turned off.
My bad experience in 2017 could have been very bad.
I was given a new 17 Outback for a loner, her 17 was in for a minor repair that took 3 days..LOL anyhow they said sine here and there is your loaner and handed me the keys.
It was fully loaded as they say had 4 miles on it.
On my way home I went to go around a car making a right turn it was a 55 zone and I slowed down to about 45. Plenty of room to go around and nobody coming in the other direction.
All the sudden the car slams on the auto brake, and all of the stuff I laid on the front seat went flying.
I debated before I left to take my dog (Thunder) along and chose not to for what ever reason.
Had he been along he would have went into the dash or windshield,
So at the Volvo dealership first thing he told me is that they all have auto braking. I said can it be turned off (NO) He asked why I would not want it. We left.
No new car yesterday.............

WTF ????No way!

With a 40 year career in the trucking industry (driver to general counsel of major truck line and back to driver), I've had to deal with this stuff to a far greater degree than the average consumer. First was F121 braking standard in the 70s, first regulation addressing anti-lock systems in class 8 trucks. Trailer brakes wouldn't apply fully, and tractor brakes would lock up, setting up a jack knife almost immediately. Truck anti-lock systems finally reached a level of competence, but it took two decades.

Next were disc brakes in the 80s, worked great on passenger cars, but with the larger components in big trucks, they were only good for one stop. When the rotors cooled, the pads wouldn't make contact. Additional problem was the calipers freezing almost immediately after being put in service. These were a company experiment, rather than a federal mandate, and they darn near put us out of business.

Didn't learn from that experience, and lost over $3 million with automated 10-speed transmissions in the late 90s. A dozen different vendors supplied the components, and there were major issues with software failing to interface properly. CEO wanted to be an industry leader and ordered 100 at one time. I left the organization in the wake of that fiasco.

I currently drive a 20 year old Peterbilt 379, with a pre-emission CAT C-15. I have 1.6 million miles on it and it makes money. My newest car is a 2007. I let others be the proving ground for the latest thing.

And they say human beings are unpredictable.

FU64RY said:

So out new car shopping yesterday for the wife.
Come to find out that auto braking is now standard on several models, some can not be turned off.
My bad experience in 2017 could have been very bad.
I was given a new 17 Outback for a loner, her 17 was in for a minor repair that took 3 days..LOL anyhow they said sine here and there is your loaner and handed me the keys.
It was fully loaded as they say had 4 miles on it.
On my way home I went to go around a ca
r making a right turn it was a 55 zone and I slowed down to about 45. Plenty of room to go around and nobody coming in the other direction.
All the sudden the car slams on the auto brake, and all of the stuff I laid on the front seat went flying.
I debated before I left to take my dog (Thunder) along and chose not to for what ever reason.
Had he been along he would have went into the dash or windshield,
So at the Volvo dealership first thing he told me is that they all have auto braking. I said can it be turned off (NO) He asked why I would not want it. We left.
No new car yesterday.............

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I believe too much technology too fast can be problematic. Look at all the problems that Boeing is having. There should always be an "OFF" Switch, in case things go wrong.
And I'll never buy a new car because of it. Cars nowadays record everything. It sucks!

How would you escape a zombie apocalypse or riots with this crap?

Or lane assist that fights the wheel if you don't have a signal light on.

I will not have something steer or brake for me! I make enough mistakes and don’t need it to make one for me! Plus the thought of something malfunctioning in my brakes like that is not acceptable it’s a bad idea and shouldn’t be used. Computer systems make big mistakes all the time so let’s let one drive for us?.. Take a train or a bus if that’s the case... there is a good theory to live by. KISS— keep it simple stupid! I know brake by wire is is out there and they are trying to put it on big trucks but the DOT isn’t letting it happen , trucks have two systems in case of a failure with air brakes. They have been here for decades and work well and are safe why mess with it.

My 2019 RAM has the auto braking. The first time that it kicked in I was backing out of my driveway watching the mailbox across the street through my back up camera. Apparently the truck thought I was too close and jammed the brake on...scared the crap out of me. The second time I was backing out of a spot on a snowy morning....there must have been snow on a rear sensor and every time I would start moving the truck would slam on the brakes...I almost couldn't get out of the spot....I turned it off right there never to turn it on again!

This officer wouldn't want any of that crap...