Is my brake working correctly?

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by ryd994, May 22, 2018.

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  1. ryd994

    ryd994 Active Member



    I rear-ended into a Camry last Saturday.

    Adaptive cruise control was on, but I was also fully participating. ACC was working all fine, decelerating correctly until a few seconds before the accident. I realized something wrong, kicked the brake to the end, but felt little deceleration at all. The only good things are that nobody was hurt and that I have collision insurance.

    The ABS noise in video is different from what I heard on any other cars. Per my memory, ABS should work at a much higher frequency. Maybe Clarity has different brake system?

    A short video recording ABS on your clarity in function is greatly appreciated. Please PM me if you don't mind.
    I'm not trying to escape from liability, but I really need to know if my car is safe to drive.
     
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  3. jdonalds

    jdonalds Well-Known Member

    This is why I call the Clarity "safety" features toys. I play with the ACC and other features a lot, just because I like toys. But the car will happily crash into other cars if I'm not paying attention (not saying you weren't).

    As noted elsewhere the ACC will lock onto a car ahead and bring the Clarity to a full stop if the car ahead comes to a stop. But if there is a car ahead, say sitting at a red light, and the Clarity isn't already locked onto that car it won't see or lock onto a parked car (again not saying this is what happened to you). So I have to watch the little dash icons to see what state the car is in. Since the automatic features can just quit without notice they can, in my opinion, actually make things worse for safety sake.

    Sorry about your accident.
     
  4. jdonalds

    jdonalds Well-Known Member

    What the heck was that car in front of you doing? It looked like it came to a complete stop for no reason. Nobody would react well in that case.
     
  5. ryd994

    ryd994 Active Member

    Very true. Actually, I learnt that on the first day. I was on an empty road, a car in front stopped at red light. Exacly the situation you said. I also noticed the empty icon, so I kicked the brake. That's two months ago.
    No, I never put my life and my responsibilities on ACC or CMBS. Thank you for replying, anyway.
     
  6. ryd994

    ryd994 Active Member

    There's a jam in front at the exit. It was a emergency brake for her, too. Basically, the law is that you must be able to stop no matter what crazy thing happens. Elsewise you can get a ticket "speed to fast for condition"
    Well, I thought I was keep enough distance, but I'm wrong.
     
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  8. Mikep00

    Mikep00 Active Member

    Not sure if ACC is any different, but I know all manufacturers say not to use cruise control in wet conditions as it is not safe.

    Something about the car doesn’t register the correct rate of acceleration due to the tires not having normal grip. Resulting in acceleration at the wrong times.

    I’m note sure if this risk would hold true on the other side of the equation; the car incorrectly thinking it is decelerating faster than it actually is.

    Might be worth inquiring with Honda for them to look into it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
     
  9. DVoran

    DVoran Member

    Key might be the rain. I think I read about that on my MB collision mitigation system where it wasn’t guaranteed to work if the wipers are on since they do obstruct the LIDAR system along with the rain drops.


    Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
     
  10. ab13

    ab13 Active Member

    Don't know if this is the case but Honda uses a magnetic system for ABS, Toyota for example uses a spring system. This might not apply to all cars.
     
  11. Viking79

    Viking79 Well-Known Member

    The ABS in the Clarity doesn't pulsate, try it in a safe location. It might have been slick roads and had less braking than expected. Maybe open a complaint with NHTSA if you truly believe that the brakes weren't functioning correctly. Mention it to your insurance agent as well.

    ACC probably has a limit on how hard it will brake, which was probably exceeded here. Intervene early.
     
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  13. Viking79

    Viking79 Well-Known Member

    Roughly, where in the clip did you start braking? There was a lot of time to react, which is why I am curious. It looks like it should have been able to stop quicker, but might have been fairly slick too. Tesla Model 3 brakes maybe ;)

    Sorry about your accident, at least it looked fairly minor.
     
  14. ab13

    ab13 Active Member

    Sorry about the incident. Was the car "hopping", since it almost seems like the sound was the tires slipping as they skidded on the wet ground.
     
  15. PHEV Newbie

    PHEV Newbie Well-Known Member

    That is a real bummer. Really sorry about your accident and glad no one was hurt. I had a minor accident the first month I had the car. It was the opposite scenario though. Someone backed into my front end. There was little damage I could see but it ended up costing nearly $3000 after they pulled the bumper cover off because it was more extensive than thought. The original estimate was only $600 so make sure you have a good body shop that has an eye for detail. Good that you have the dash cam. I didn't when I had my accident and my insurance adjuster told me to brace myself because she's seen all too often that the other party lies. A dash cam would prevent that. Luckily, that didn't happen to us and it was all resolved without drama. I suggest you show the video to your Honda dealer. I believe the Clarity should have made a full stop on its own. However, it is possible that the wet roadway increased the stopping distance so hence the accident even if the system operated normally. The below video shows how the collision mitigation system works (Clarity has same system as the Pilot in the video):

     
  16. Carro con enchufe

    Carro con enchufe Active Member

    That’s an eye opening video and good reminder not to over-depend on the ACC!
     
    Daniel M W likes this.
  17. I didn't have my camer installed yest but I also rear ended a car that short stopped halfway onto a state highway after I was 20 ft past the stop sign. The system did nothing for mine either. Maybe 5mph. Nearly $3k
     
  18. Dreamgt

    Dreamgt New Member

    Glad you're okay! Definitely feel your pain.
    I have been using ACC religiously for over 1000 miles now, and have had 3 occasions where the ACC failed to recognize the car ahead of me had come to a complete stop. It was accelerating steadily, and suddenly the BRAKE alert flashed on the cluster while still accelerating, prompting me to slam on the brakes, disabling ACC.

    Besides those events, ACC has worked pretty well. To be fair though, I drove a v90 Volvo Station wagon with semi-autopilot for 2 weeks in Sweden, and the ACC was much more responsive and "hands-free" than what I find in the Honda, it really isn't perfect and there are currently better systems out there.
     
  19. Viking79

    Viking79 Well-Known Member

    Do you recall what situations it failed to recognize a vehicle? I ask is I have never had a miss at highway speeds, but it can only detect stopped cars if it was actively following them beforehand. Like I have to be no more than 2 or 3 seconds back when they start stopping and the little car on the dash has to be lit up. If it isn't the Clarity isn't going to stop.

    I turn the system off most of the time anywhere there are traffic lights or anything.
     
  20. Dreamgt

    Dreamgt New Member

    Yeah I guess it falls into that scenario, most of the time it's a car that will change lanes because of stopped traffic in the lane ahead of him, leaving little time for the system to react.
     
  21. LegoZ

    LegoZ Active Member

    Ok so I had my first time where I got into the brakes when it had been raining hard and I think I know what might have happened. It had been raining really hard and there were several 4”-5” deep spots of water over the road that I had driven through. This would have thoroughly wet the brake system and a few minutes later traffic stopped short and I had to use more than regen to quickly slow the car. Surprisingly the brakes did not respond as expected. I think as we don’t use the brakes they stay wet and cold and therefore have reduced friction available when we need to call on them abruptly.
    I’m finding mixed information on this but i think i remember some cars have a function that seeks to dry the brakes after going through standing water.
    From https://www.kwik-fit.com/blog/10-things-that-can-affect-your-stopping-distance

    “Brakes can also be affected by wet roads and standing water leading to moisture between the pads & discs that can make them less effective at bringing your vehicle to a stop. If you have driven through deep water, make sure you pump the brake pedal a few times while driving slowly to dry them out and ensure they work when you need them.”
     
  22. LegoZ

    LegoZ Active Member


    BMW Brake dry functionality
     

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