Driver Alert Hates Me

[astrand1]

I tried Blu Cruise in my new Flash today. It said "Hands Free is Available", but its not hands free. Kept telling me to put my hands on the wheel. I don't drive with hands at 10 and 2. Kills my rotator cuff. I usually have hands down on my knees and steer from bottom of steering wheel under normal cruise. How do you turn this off??? Normal cruise control is fine for me.

if it does not turn the cluster blue and have a steering wheel with “hands free” in it then it’s not going into BC. BC is hands free and once it’s in you really don’t have to touch the wheel. What you were experiencing was lane centering which is similar but requires a touch of the wheel every 15sec or so unless you hang a small weight like something that’s about a pound or so then you don’t have to touch the wheel.

Sponsored

 

[gbuydos]

Found on another forum, helps a little.


Ok I will explain the difference between adaptive cruise control and blue cruise. But first what I want you to do is go into your vehicle settings and under adaptive cruise control setting turn of speed sign recognition. That feature is too finicky at this point and reads too many signs that are not relevant and if you don’t have a tolerance set will always revert your speed back to right on the limit. Too many times it read a 50 sign for me on an off ramp and slammed the breaks while on the highway.

Ok now there is a difference between blue cruise and adaptive cruise control.

Blue Cruise is truly hands free but only works on pre mapped areas approved by ford and has some requirements for it to be allowed to activate.

Adaptive Cruise uses all the same sensors and technology’s but requires you to keep your hands on the wheel in case the car goofes since you are on maps where ford can’t be sure what the car may do.

Easy way to check if your in blue cruise is to see if your cluster is completely blue. Also if you’re not in the calm screen blue cruise will have a steering wheel icon and have hands free written across it. Adaptive cruise will have a steering wheel with 2 hands on it.

Blue cruise it will never ask for you hands it only uses two cameras to track your head/eyes and may yell at you to look at the road if it finds you looking elsewhere. What can happen is that since blue cruise uses pre mapped areas. If ford decides a certain section is too difficult at this time there may be a short break in mapped areas and what actually happens is blue cruise disengages and then it requires you to have your hands on the wheel during adaptive cruise control.

Blue cruise will also disconnect during medium and heavy rain.

Blue cruise will not work if it finds your cameras or sensors are blocked/dirty.

Like said if it asks for your hands you were not in blue cruise anymore and it disengaged for some reason. My best guess is there was a short break in the mapped area.

 

[PJnc284]

if it does not turn the cluster blue and have a steering wheel with “hands free” in it then it’s not going into BC. BC is hands free and once it’s in you really don’t have to touch the wheel. What you were experiencing was lane centering which is similar but requires a touch of the wheel every 15sec or so unless you hang a small weight like something that’s about a pound or so then you don’t have to touch the wheel.

Stuck one of these on. Little bulky but got rid of the constant nag on straightaways when using regular hands-on.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KZQR7GQ

 

[OCSTEVE39]

Final conclusion.
No, the wheel is not touch sensitive; it has torque sensors. as I'm sure most here know. I did not, coming from Mach-E which steering is far more sensitive. The Lightning is not a sports car, it is a truck which requires more torque input than I was aware. I do now handle the wheel more forcefully and issue is no more. Thanks again to @Maquis for pointing that out. Dealership of course knew no such thing and I can cancel the stupid appointment and just enjoy this amazing vehicle!

Thanks guys!

 

[Scorpio3d]

Lower your steering wheel and sit centered in the seat.

If you're driving with a gangster lean the camera doesn't see you.

The hands on sensor only requires making small inputs on the wheel. You can use your knee and it doesn't know the difference.

^^ Yeah, my friend told me that works.

 

[Scorpio3d]

I'll certainly try that with the wheel. The Mach-e was satisfied with just laying the hand. With "watch the road" once moving side to side made it happy, consistently removing my polarized sunglasses (which was NEVER an issue in the Mach-E) worked. Also, it's an overcast day. Maybe that along with sunglasses? Just very surprised with this!

I have mirrored polarized sunglasses and do not have a problem with the eye thing. I generally keep my hand on the bottom of the wheel and just ease it over towards one stripe or the other when it gives me that key hands on wheel Alert.

 

[Ragman]

Another reason I want ER XLTs back... the Flash has nanny cam... Still trying to figure out holding/drinking coffee with left hand

 

[Hank42]

It's more stressful to drive with nanny mode on. When my free BluesClues trial expires in a few months, Ford expects me to start paying them so I can be scolded. Something doesent sit right about that. Like road rage, but at my own car lol.

Having driven Teslas autopilot, I have to say thier more subtle hints at "hey man, maybe you should look out the front window" is more soothing and actually gets me to perform the expected behavior with less anxiety compared to worrying about when the Ford is going g to go all "Frau Helga" at me. Now if only Tesla sold pickup trucks...

Anyone know how GM supercruise compares? Somewhere in between ismy guess?

 

[Henry Tilden]

So, I'm driving along in my three-day old Lightning (had Mach-E for two years) enjoying intelligent cruise control. It pops up, WATCH THE ROAD! Thought I was. HANDS ON THE WHEEL! Ok it no like where my hands were. Again, WATCH THE ROAD! This time I'm looking really hard with probably a weird look on my face, not good enough, popup, TAKE CONTROL and starts slamming the brakes on me. I'm afraid this may escalate to demanding my lunch money. I love intelligent cruise but now I'm all stressed-out man!
I turned off driver alert which is a stand-alone setting apart from cruise. Haven't tested it yet to see if that's my bully.

Anyone else finding the Lightning a little hall monitory?

I wear my cheaters low on my low on my nose. Once I take them off the car stops telling me to keep my eyes on the road so
often.
I have to admit there are times when I'm looking at the panel or outside it a little longer than I should.

 

[Firn]

It's more stressful to drive with nanny mode on. When my free BluesClues trial expires in a few months, Ford expects me to start paying them so I can be scolded. Something doesent sit right about that. Like road rage, but at my own car lol.

Having driven Teslas autopilot, I have to say thier more subtle hints at "hey man, maybe you should look out the front window" is more soothing and actually gets me to perform the expected behavior with less anxiety compared to worrying about when the Ford is going g to go all "Frau Helga" at me. Now if only Tesla sold pickup trucks...

Anyone know how GM supercruise compares? Somewhere in between ismy guess?

Does your truck yell at you when NOT using BlueCruise? Say when using regular cruise or lane centering?

 

[RickLightning]

I also have a Mach-E. I always have to remember which vehicle I’m in because the cameras are in different locations. I cause most problems in the Lightning when I’m holding a drink in my right hand while resting it on the wheel.

How many times do we have to tell you not to drink and drive?

 

[RickLightning]

I'll certainly try that with the wheel. The Mach-e was satisfied with just laying the hand. With "watch the road" once moving side to side made it happy, consistently removing my polarized sunglasses (which was NEVER an issue in the Mach-E) worked. Also, it's an overcast day. Maybe that along with sunglasses? Just very surprised with this!

I have both a Mach-E and a Lightning. The Mach-E is not satisfied with just placing hands on the wheel. You must move the wheel in both vehicles. With a hand at the top of the wheel, that blocks the Mach-E's camera, but the truck is fine with that. The Mach-E camera is right on the wheel looking directly at you. The Lightning has sensors/cameras on the A-Pillar and to the left of the center screen.

 

[Maquis]

How many times do we have to tell you not to drink and drive?

I thought the camera could see through vodka in a clear glass, but it didn’t work.

 

[Electric Messiah]

So, I'm driving along in my three-day old Lightning (had Mach-E for two years) enjoying intelligent cruise control. It pops up, WATCH THE ROAD! Thought I was. HANDS ON THE WHEEL! Ok it no like where my hands were. Again, WATCH THE ROAD! This time I'm looking really hard with probably a weird look on my face, not good enough, popup, TAKE CONTROL and starts slamming the brakes on me. I'm afraid this may escalate to demanding my lunch money. I love intelligent cruise but now I'm all stressed-out man!
I turned off driver alert which is a stand-alone setting apart from cruise. Haven't tested it yet to see if that's my bully.

Anyone else finding the Lightning a little hall monitory?

Apparently some of the newer Flashes are over anxious to perceived Attention Deficit Disorder, and Ford has hired a therapist to program an OTA couch session.

 

[Richie740]

So, I'm driving along in my three-day old Lightning (had Mach-E for two years) enjoying intelligent cruise control. It pops up, WATCH THE ROAD! Thought I was. HANDS ON THE WHEEL! Ok it no like where my hands were. Again, WATCH THE ROAD! This time I'm looking really hard with probably a weird look on my face, not good enough, popup, TAKE CONTROL and starts slamming the brakes on me. I'm afraid this may escalate to demanding my lunch money. I love intelligent cruise but now I'm all stressed-out man!
I turned off driver alert which is a stand-alone setting apart from cruise. Haven't tested it yet to see if that's my bully.

Anyone else finding the Lightning a little hall monitory?

The "Hands on Wheel" does not actually sense your hands on the wheel. You need to give the wheel a little nudge.

Sponsored