Dacia Stepway AEB activating itself

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837471#Comment_123837471

Yes, that is what I am going to home in on, when talking to them about a replacement this week

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837471#Comment_123837471

The ECU will only log faults but in this case the AEB is activating in what it thinks is a legitimate situation so no fault would be logged, it's very likely going to be the front module in the bumper failing

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837977#Comment_123837977

Thanks , I did ask them to replace the front radar and they said they can't as its not logging any issue?
The car is under warranty so I assume they can't get approval from Dacia if its not logging a fault with the radar sensor.

techie

Thanks all of you for replying, its much appreciated!

Question for you all?

Would you allow the Dealer to replace the Radar at the front, even though their is no faults showing in the car?

or

Insist on a replacement/new car?

Our car is part of a PCP deal so not sure if that helps or hinders our situation with the dealer.

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838006#Comment_123838006

They have to fix the car regardless of whether it's logging faults or not, I could understand their position before they experienced the situation but now that the have seen it happen it's time for action

Gooser14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838942#Comment_123838942

See the like below:

https://www.ccpc.ie/consumers/cars/your-rights-if-things-go-wrong/#:~:text=If%20you%20paid%20for%20your%20car%20with%20Hire%20Purchase%20or,them%20to%20resolve%20your%20issue.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838942#Comment_123838942

Thanks, my rights are Repair, Replace or Refund

In my view , repair is not feasible as the car is not logging any faults, so they would be guessing at what part(s) to replace?

Refund is not an option as we need a car

So replacement is our best bet, for a solution

Is that reasonable, do you think?

Gooser14

Don't forget that your consumer rights trump the manufacturers warranty & also the responsibilities of the finance company, who in fact own the vehicle, in resolving the issue to your satisfaction.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839087#Comment_123839087

Thanks, good to hear, well up on my Consumer rights since this started happening, will update with whatever the dealer or Dacia come up with, this week

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839016#Comment_123839016

I think you've been very reasonable AND patient with what is a serious flaw and safety problem with this particular car.

A replacement (assuming they have one in stock that you'd be happy with and which is equivalent to your own - don't get pulled into them trying to "upsell" you into one) is probably your best option alright.

Good luck and keep us posted!

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839258#Comment_123839258

Thanks , they have an identical one in stock, identical in spec to ours, with 20k km on it, BUT, how do we know if that has the same issue as ours, I think we are looking at a new model to rule out this issue as it has the new GSR2 tech in it?

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839274#Comment_123839274

If this was a known issue or a recall fault they'd have known about it from the start and sorted it accordingly. The only way to check that is to look up user reviews of your specific model on the likes of the UK Honest John website or ask on dedicated Dacia forums if this is something others have experienced.

It's a valid concern though. Your best bet then might be the refund option but presumably you'll lose x amount in depreciation for a start, plus the finance (if any) will still need to be sorted. You might be back at square one, but at least you could move brands entirely if you decide to.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839291#Comment_123839291

Thanks, I can see others in UK have had same issue, and returned the car, some are still fighting with Dacia UK about it, it has not happened enough people to raise it as a Recall yet though

Will speak with the Dealer this morning now and post what the outcome is, thanks

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839306#Comment_123839306

Reference what you've seen in the UK. Printouts might be useful to show that this is apparently not an isolated incident and should strengthen your argument.

trellheim

Presumably disabling the feature is an option though, it would mean disconnecting the bits but surely the car is then usable

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123839631#Comment_123839631

Yes that works, but my wife forgets to do it, as it re-enables each time the car starts

techie

Rang today, and was told they are still trying to replicate the issue for themselves, what they saw last Friday, was the braking message and beeping, but the car did not apply the brakes!

Spoke with Service Manager too, but he is only back from 2 weeks holidays so he is looking into it.

Have sent off an email back to Dacia Ireland, lodging a formal complaint about the car now,

Will update once I know any more

techie

Called into dealer today and spoke with Service Manager, they are going through a process for Dacia, logging when they see the issue for themselves, they have to then report back to Dacia, who will come back to them with a solution,

They have not seen the active braking yet, just the warnings and beep that comes before it,

They have asked me to extend the cover on the loan car another week,

Not sure what I can do at this stage?

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123843603#Comment_123843603

Yeah, I think you need to leave it with them for a bit. That Dacia is involved should give you some comfort.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123843603#Comment_123843603

Depends on whether you're prepared to wait another week for this issue to reoccur for them and maybe generate a log this time.

If so, I would want a firm commitment on what happens at the end of that week - ie: the discussion moves to talking about an exchange or refund.

However there's no guarantee that they'll get what they need in the next week so then what? Wait another week?

Given they've already had it 2/3 times for this issue, I'd be inclined to move directly to the next steps at this stage - especially if they are in any way vague or non-commital to the above.

This may require legal advice at this point if that's the case.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123843850#Comment_123843850

I am honestly fed up with them now,

I rang another Dacia dealer and mentioned the issue to them , they have seen it a few times, and each time they recalibrated the Radar and problem solved for each customer,

Can I take my car back from this Dacia dealer now that Dacia are involved as totally fed up with them and can't trust them to answer if they have above done yet?

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123843872#Comment_123843872

I would call them and say exactly that - that another dealer has seen the issue and successfully resolved it. See what their response is.

It's your car and the warranty isn't tied to that dealer, but be no harm to verify with Dacia Ireland that they will cover the fix suggested by the 2nd dealer if you take it to them.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123843924#Comment_123843924

I wish I could, called the 2nd dealer back, and asked him about the process that the first dealer is in with Dacia, he said they have to go through with it, as Dacia have asked them for detailed logs etc from the car,

I did tell him I mentioned his fix to them, and they did not outright answer the question, so he now reckons they will have a miraculous fix in the coming days!!

_Kaiser_

I would still tell the first dealer that if you get to Thursday/Friday morning and there's still no sign of a fix, you'll be in to talk about a replacement/refund.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123844005#Comment_123844005

I see where you are coming from, the 2nd dealer said to leave it with Dacia, that would be the best outcome when they are directly involved.

I personally feel at this stage to ask them to disable the AEB system and give us back the car, until Dacia are forced to issue a recall for it

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123844551#Comment_123844551

I wouldn't do that. It may not be an issue, but there's the law of unexpected consequences. Also you might be waiting a long time for a recall.

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123845054#Comment_123845054

Yep I know, my wife agrees with your last comment, to leave it with them, and see what they come up with so will try and do that, thanks

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123836140#Comment_123836140

I work on this kind of stuff (not this product or the company supplying it), and I can say with 100% certainty that logging of faults is a fundamental part of these safety systems. Logging of activations is another story though, they may only last for a period of time, or be logged to permanent memory if a collision occurs.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837471#Comment_123837471

Most cars will only show you high-level faults like "check engine", and not "injector 2 solenoid resistance high", which is really what is needed. Even many diagnostic units wont get every single fault which can be logged within an ADAS sensor.


I'm not so sure that replacing the radar itself will necessarily fix the problem. It almost certainly is not a standalone device, and is not actually making the decision to apply the brakes. (In contrast, some front cameras actually make this decision onboard the camera.)

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123843872#Comment_123843872

I'm not really surprised that a re-calibration fixed issues which others are having, but I would have expected that it's doing regular on-line calibration itself (see quite below, from the manufacturer of the radar, albeit it not necessarily this particularl model).

Do you ever take the car on the motorway, or a long straight road? (not that you should have to mind, just interested to see)

Within certain bounds, the system should know that if your wheel is straight, and the IMU says you're traveling straight, and all tyre pressures are OK, etc, etc, etc - that the objects that the radar is tracking at an angle, really should be corrected to be straight. A long straight road will likely give the car an opportunity to calibrate itself automatically.

It may be that the dealer has read the calibration values and they all look ok - but of course I don't know.

I'd be very keen personally to get a detailed explanation as to the root cause of the problem. Swapping out a part wouldn't cut if it for me when the car could slam on the brakes on the motorway.

“Yes, it is correct that our radar sensors work without calibration (possible feature depending on the variant),” Continental chassis and safety division external communications manager Miriam Baum wrote in an email. “Auto-alignment always takes place at the start of the journey.

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2017/12/11/continental-5th-generation-adas-radar-continues-auto-alignment-feature/

techie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123845926#Comment_123845926

My wife drives the car normally and I keep an eye on the tyre pressures of both our cars every two weeks, she does drive on the Macroom bypass everyday for work, so the car does get a run on an open road.

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply here, thanks, I believe our car does not have an EDR , as its not a GSR2 car, so not sure that the events that we are seeing are recorded in any way, if a part is faulty as you mentioned it should register an OBD code, but this is not that.

Not sure at the end of the Dacia Process (CIR), what will come out of it, as I can see from UK forums with videos of the same thing that happens ours, they are still fighting with Dacia to do something about it?