ACC Not Available

[uscpsycho]

I use ACC a lot and I've had a handful of times where the ACC just suddenly turned off with the message "ACC not available" on the dash. Usually I can turn it right back on, but yesterday I couldn't turn it on for a minute or two.

ACC turning off unexpectedly on the freeway can result in a pretty dangerous situation. Does anyone know why this is happening? I just had the car washed on Saturday (and it was already pretty clean) so it's not due to an obstructed sensor. Anyway, it is working the majority of the time so if the sensor was the problem I think I'd see the error pop up a lot more.

Any idea what is going on?

 

[Verbruggan]

I had it happen for the 1st occasion last week. I was at stop & go for a stop sign.

Tried resetting at the bank drive thru w/o success. Drove to my next stop w/o it & powered down the car. Still, no va.

Then I powered off cruise control. Brushed off the LADR under the grill. No debris, just dead bugs. When I restarted the car, I restarted the cruise control. Voila. ACC was back.

Alas, I know think as I approach a car. Will ACC stay on? Will it fail? (nail biting)

 

[Sparklebeard]

Yours is failing while approaching/following a vehicle???! I would contact the dealer.

I have seen that message once, and it was when I was in stop go traffic at a line for a stop sign, going up a hill. The car started rolling backwards when it let off the brakes to start moving (because the grade was so steep) and I got the warning. When it was safe to do so I rebooted the car and everything was good to go.

In that case I 100% consider it user error. It wasn’t a situation where ACC was appropriate to use.

Now, if the system is giving you errors while is normal operation, and ESPECIALLY if it’s shutting off while approaching a vehicle, you should contact VW, IMO.

Is this happening when activating the ACC, or is it happening suddenly while the system is active and just cruising along?

It’s not impossible that stuck on bugs could cause an ACC issue, but.... that seems a bit overly sensitive....

Disappointing to hear you’re experiencing this

 

[uscpsycho]

Yes, this is happening on the freeway, in traffic and at cruising speed. Super freaky when it happens!

Just happened again this evening. It shut off, I tried to turn it back on and on the third try it worked. Then back to normal.

 

[JoulesThief]

Yes, this is happening on the freeway, in traffic and at cruising speed. Super freaky when it happens!

Just happened again this evening. It shut off, I tried to turn it back on and on the third try it worked. Then back to normal.

Relying on that equipment is going to get you in an accident. Be a more active, defensive driver, instead of passive, relying on systems that fail. Especially when the people in front of you are innocent when your system fails and you slam into them.

Pet peeve of mine, I've had a bad lower back since 28 years of age due to soft tissue damage being rear ended at 30 mph when I was at a dead stop at a red light. Inexcusable that someone else suffers due to you being a lazy driver. Be active, not reactive, behind the wheel.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Definitely take it to the dealership! That is not normal. I would be hounding them about it if it were happening to my car. Might be worth posting about it on a bigger Golf forum too, since the ACC isn’t specific to e-Golf.

 

[uscpsycho]

Yes, this is happening on the freeway, in traffic and at cruising speed. Super freaky when it happens!

Just happened again this evening. It shut off, I tried to turn it back on and on the third try it worked. Then back to normal.

Relying on that equipment is going to get you in an accident. Be a more active, defensive driver, instead of passive, relying on systems that fail. Especially when the people in front of you are innocent when your system fails and you slam into them.

Pet peeve of mine, I've had a bad lower back since 28 years of age due to soft tissue damage being rear ended at 30 mph when I was at a dead stop at a red light. Inexcusable that someone else suffers due to you being a lazy driver. Be active, not reactive, behind the wheel.

I was 100% sure someone was going to say this and I was 99% sure it would be you. Please step down from the high horse. You have no idea how I drive. :roll:

Definitely take it to the dealership! That is not normal. I would be hounding them about it if it were happening to my car. Might be worth posting about it on a bigger Golf forum too, since the ACC isn’t specific to e-Golf.

What's a good general Golf forum? If sharing here isn't allowed please PM me.

This is probably in the manual, and I did RTFM (well about 70% so far, it's BIG), but where is the sensor for ACC? Maybe I can give it a visual to make sure nothing isn't stuck to it. I really don't think that's the problem though because it works fine 90%+ of the time.

 

[JoulesThief]

I was 100% sure someone was going to say this and I was 99% sure it would be you. Please step down from the high horse. You have no idea how I drive. :roll:

Judging by your posts here, you sound more like a candidate for public transportation than having the privilege of driving a car. I've never seen anyone come in here as a newbie like you, and have so many problems, and whine so much about a new to them car, and learning how to operate it. It makes you sound incapable of operating an e-Golf, too complex for you.

Of course, you've only read 70% of the Owners Manual. There's your problem.

All of the above is IMHO. I've been around here long enough to see the poor judgement and posts of so many new e-Golf owners, that should have probably bought a Tesla instead.

The VW dealership is your friend, you should have been shown how to use everything in your e-Golf before driving off the lot by the sales person that sold you the car. But you weren't intelligent enough to get that free service.

 

[2016golfse]

I just had the car washed on Saturday (and it was already pretty clean) so it's not due to an obstructed sensor.

This is probably in the manual, and I did RTFM (well about 70% so far, it's BIG), but where is the sensor for ACC? Maybe I can give it a visual to make sure nothing isn't stuck to it. I really don't think that's the problem though because it works fine 90%+ of the time.

The sensor is the square looking thing just below the front license plate. It sounds like you don't know where the sensor is to actually confirm if it's obstructed or not.

 

[uscpsycho]

Oh geez! The guardian of the e-golf!

Man, that horse just keeps getting higher!

The threads I've started:
ACC Not Available - major malfunction, not in the manual
Will this increase battery drain? - not addressed in the manual, how would I know without asking?
Wildly erratic range making car untrustworthy - not in the manual, how would I know without asking?
Car-net app issues - app malfunction
Great USB cable for this car - suggestion for others
Driver personalization settings - works opposite of manual
Android notifications over Bluetooth & Android Auto question - bug in the system
New owner, need charging advice - shoot me for asking for advice, it's not in the manual, how would I know without asking?

That is me having "so many problems, and whine so much about a new to them car, and learning how to operate it."

Sorry I'm not here for the sole purpose of singing this car's praises like you are. Maybe you aren't familiar with how product forums work but one of their primary reasons for being is to address issues that users are having. Sorry if that bothers you. I saw another thread where multiple people said they muted you, I see why. If my posts upset you so much feel free to mute me. Problem solved. But I appreciate all the help the other 99% provide without being nasty. And I even appreciate your help, when you give it, even if you are nasty.

The last part of the manual I haven't read is a lot of mundane stuff like storage areas and maintenance. Nothing to do with my questions and I always check the manual before I asking here. Almost every question I've had I figured out on my own without your precious help. I'll get through the entire manual which is saying a lot because in my experience most people don't even read 50% of their car manual.

And when I have a question or an issue that isn't answered in the manual I will ask here and I am sure the friendly people here will help if they can.

"The VW dealership is your friend, you should have been shown how to use everything in your e-Golf before driving off the lot by the sales person that sold you the car. But you weren't intelligent enough to get that free service."
That is hilarious. :lol:

 

[Sparklebeard]

Sorry I'm not here for the sole purpose of singing this car's praises like you are.

TBH, JT posts whatever is the most contrarian. If someone posts something positive JT’ll find a way to shit on it and if they post something negative JT’ll make it the poster’s fault.

Just don’t pay ‘em any attention.

Anyway.

I’m not aware of issues linking to other boards, but a moderator can delete this if there is.

You could try golfmk7.com and vwvortex.com. Generally you’ll find the Golf R discussions are the most relevant to the e-Golf SEL, as the equipment level is about on par. GTIs don’t have as many driver assist features etc.

If you’re in the Bay Area I’d be happy to scan your car with OBDeleven and VCP, if you like.

 

[f1geek]

ACC and other computerized safety systems have been proven to improve driving safety, at according to Consumer Reports and the IIHS. The IIHS is funded by insurance companies, and insurance companies want to pay less for collisions, so if the IIHS says active safety reduces crashes, they are putting their money where their mouth is. ACC, of course, is a not a substitute for paying attention, but the reason why CR and IIHS have proven these systems reduce crashes is because the computer and sensors can react faster than humans can in most cases. A radar can detect changes in speed and distance far better than a human, so if it is working correctly, the ACC (and AEB) can prevent a crash. Also, as humans age, their reflexes diminish, and people can also be distracted, such as when they are trying to hypermile behind a semi or perfectly time a stop light to improve driving efficiency. Also, don't count on the dealer giving you all the answers or the right answers (my salesperson told me repeatedly how my car came with run flat tires - it didn't - because he thought the inclusion of a fix a flat kit meant the car had run flat tires - there are idiots at many dealers and you need to be able to detect them and stay far away from them if possible). You have found the ACC to be faulty, so please complain to VW corporate and bring it to your dealer, but insist it get repaired ASAP as this is an active safety system and it will reduce the likelihood of a crash. Don't listen to a dealer who tells you it's normal for the ACC to cut out at highway speeds on a clear day when you are using it as per the manual.

 

[uscpsycho]

That just made me realize that the crash avoidance is probably controlled by the same sensors that ACC uses. Seems obvious but I didn't think about it. Even if I can live with the ACC issues, there might be a problem that will impair emergency braking. Or in an extreme (but improbable) case unnecessarily trigger it. That would be bad. I should get this checked out ASAP.

On the other subject, the more questions are asked and answered here, the more valuable this website becomes as a resource. These threads are a permanent record. A lot of people Google their questions and if the answers are found here the site will get more users. That's how I found this place, and I'm glad I did.

 

[Sparklebeard]

If Front Assist failed you would get a big honkin great yellow triangle on the dash about it, though I don’t think you’re at all wrong to have reservations about all the cars driver assist functions if your ACC radar system can’t be trusted.

>getting off topic a bit<
I’m not sure how much the front camera plays into the Front Assist AEB; I’m pretty sure it is needed for the front assist on my 2016 with DAP. Anyone with a SE with DAP; do you have a camera at all in the windshield for AEB? Or is it radar only? I thought radar alone was really bad for picking up stationary objects because if they didn’t ignore them the car would freak out at traffic signs?

 

[JoulesThief]

If Front Assist failed you would get a big honkin great yellow triangle on the dash about it, though I don’t think you’re at all wrong to have reservations about all the cars driver assist functions if your ACC radar system can’t be trusted.

>getting off topic a bit<
I’m not sure how much the front camera plays into the Front Assist AEB; I’m pretty sure it is needed for the front assist on my 2016 with DAP. Anyone with a SE with DAP; do you have a camera at all in the windshield for AEB? Or is it radar only? I thought radar alone was really bad for picking up stationary objects because if they didn’t ignore them the car would freak out at traffic signs?

It's radar, and even a slightly low mounted license plate on the front can interfere with the functionality of the sensor.

 

[Verbruggan]

If Front Assist failed you would get a big honkin great yellow triangle on the dash about it, though I don’t think you’re at all wrong to have reservations about all the cars driver assist functions if your ACC radar system can’t be trusted.

>getting off topic a bit<
I’m not sure how much the front camera plays into the Front Assist AEB; I’m pretty sure it is needed for the front assist on my 2016 with DAP. Anyone with a SE with DAP; do you have a camera at all in the windshield for AEB? Or is it radar only? I thought radar alone was really bad for picking up stationary objects because if they didn’t ignore them the car would freak out at traffic signs?

It's radar, and even a slightly low mounted license plate on the front can interfere with the functionality of the sensor.

True dat! Front bumper was made for EU plates. VT only requires back tag.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Looks like the camera is involved with Front Assist with AEB, after all

“ VW Front Assist is a system designed to help avoid or to mitigate accidents into the rear of preceding traffic. A long-range radar, positioned at the front of the car, can detect vehicles up to 80m ahead which the car is likely to hit unless action is taken. The information from the front radar is optionally combined with data from a windscreen-mounted camera to calculate the likelihood of an impact.”

It’s probably market dependant, so it’s possible the camera is present but not used here. Seems strange they would add the camera to the North American 2016 with DAP though if they weren’t going to enable it.

 

[uscpsycho]

I definitely have a radar issue. Now I'm getting the big red HIT THE BRAKES! alert at random times when I'm a few car lengths behind the next car and not remotely close to slamming into anything.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Take it to the dealership, for sure.


I notice that the "screaming car" will pop up sometimes when the car ahead is a reasonable distance away, but the car doesn't think I've noticed yet. But I do have it set to "early" mode, and it has always been in a situation where there has been a car slowing ahead. In my case, it feels like the system is operating correctly, but its just being a bit dramatic. Which front assist mode is yours set to?

If it goes beyond the scream of "hey, pay attention!", and thinks "oh, we might actually hit something...." it will 'bump' the brakes as well as beep scream at you. Is yours activating the emergency brakes as well as the alert?

 

[JoulesThief]

I hope one can turn that feature off, or get the car without it. I would find it irritating as hell, being such an inattentive driver that your car needs to tell you to or remind you to slow down.

If it can't be shut off, I may as well forget about buying a 2019 SEL, and paying for something I'll never use.