I have been trying to figure out how to turn this off as well. It is NOT accurate to state that it comes only when road conditions impact it or when it appears that I missed an opportunity to do something... It comes on at times for zero reasons with great road conditions. It is startling and came be dangerous
I should be able to turn it off and leave it off due to this. Happy to have all the new safety features but only if they work 100% of the time

 

I'm afraid there is nothing on a car (or for that matter in life) that will always function correctly 100% of the time. If that is your standard I would remind that air bags nor seatbelts are 100%. What safety systems do is greatly increase your odds.

You say the system in your vehicle comes on for zero reasons which in itself is impossible. Everything happens for a reason-it just may not be clear to you.

The systems are designed and programmed to intervene when they have calculated a severe event looming. If you are experiencing constant issues then it sounds like there may be a fault in the system. Believe it or not, cameras and electronics are not 100% perfect at all times. We purchase hundreds of thousands of these systems- and at some point something will be manufactured outside of tolerance or will be defective. Likewise, someone out there will get a defective iPhone, microwave, laptop, etc.

Lastly, there should be no danger if people have their hands on the wheel and are paying attention to the road. The resistance required to overcome the system intervention is set to a very low level and a child can overpower the system. The system may startle you, but it can't force you into an accident.

 

I applaud you for investing in a driving school which is of great value. However, be careful not to overwhelm him/her with numerous specific scenarios. This can cause new drivers to spend too much time thinking about what they should be doing rather than reacting.

In my experience, teaching newer drivers to look farther down the road and helping them to read and anticipate the traffic and road conditions are critical. New drivers tend to fixate on the vehicle directly in front and have a bit of tunnel vision. The motorbike rider philosophy of "ride as though you are invisible to other drivers on the road" is a great philosophy to instill in any driver. Never cruise in blind spots, assume cars at intersections cannot see you, avoid lanes that see lots of traffic merging, watch the drivers ahead and notice if they are distracted, etc.

As for your question- yes you can overcome ELKA with relative ease. It would be too dangerous to create a system that the driver cannot overcome for numerous reasons.

If you would like to experience the system for yourself (and have access to a closed/private road) you can use cardboard, foam or other harmless physical objects intended to replicate an obstacle and engage them at a speed over 40mph. DO NOT do this on a public road. If you place the obstacle directly in front you can also experience the forward collision system and emergency braking (depending on your vehicle, options and speed). Again, please do not do this on a public road though. You can also see some of the systems in action on various youtube videos when they are tested by safety agencies.

 

Thank you for the reply! It is a great point not to overwhelm in the beginning. He's been driving since 14 (don't ask). I think he's about 6500+ miles in by now and has also had some flying lessons. He just did the entire drive from Missouri to Florida in terrible weather on a few sketchy roads. I feel like he's mostly ready.

Definitely going to take the suggestion on the cardboard obstacles. That sounds great!

 

You sound like the typical service advisor when you state “impossible” for the system coming on for no reason…..LOL!!

Appreciate all your information and helpfulness with owners on this forum but that statement is just ridiculous. You acknowledge that systems do not operate properly 100% of the time and yet in the same breath state that the system will not come on for no reason. So, which one is it?

 

I would encourage you to carefully re-read what I have written. Two things can both be true simultaneously.

The system is reacting for a reason. That reason could be that there is a defect in the camera system or hardware that is creating a situation where the event limits are reduced (therefore allowing intervention outside design intent). Additionally, the reason could be that there was something in the road that warranted the intervention (which sometimes people don't see). If drivers saw all potential threats on the road there wouldn't be many accidents on the road.

Hopefully this clarifies my points.

 

Interesting that I can replicate it multiple times entering a freeway same spot three times in one month. No cars around, in the lane I was supposed to be. Twice driving down a road under construction with concrete barriers beside me, nice that it happened there
​​​​​​How about those that want it keep it and those that don't be given the ability to turn off. I am not asking for 100% but come on clearly it is not doing what it is supposed to do and if we think it is LR needs a way to start collecting data to fine tune it.

Clearly owners are identifying a concern, let's try listening just in case there is merit. When you have multiple people saying the same thing chances are there is something there.

 

The version of the "motorbike rider philosophy" that I taught all my kids when they were learning to drive was: "drive like everyone out there is trying to kill you."

 

Owners should have the ability to turn some features off and keep them off. For certain features I think it would be appropriate to have three or four different settings, i.e. always on, always off, off until next restart then back on, on at next restart (temperature dependent) something along those lines would cover the different behaviors. To have all of these plethora of options buried in menus and then some do remain off permanently with others only remaining off until next restart, the whole thing needs to be revisited, I kept thinking this particular one was resetting itself due to software updates. The problem is there's so much inconsistent behavior nobody really knows what's on and off at any given moment, all we see is a toggle. Do the driver profiles retain the settings? Maybe that's the answer, I'd like to be able to do similar to what the poster above mentions with BMW. For a lot of these settings it makes perfect sense to have them persist after a restart. How about we start with auto stop-start, why does anyone care what mileage I get? I'm not getting good mileage but not because of the engine running at stop lights, I'm getting poor mileage because I'm letting the car warm up for 20 minutes when it's zero degrees outside or I'm eating a burger in the car with the heat on so I don't get hypothermia on my lunch hour, or for folks in hot weather running the A/C in similar situations.

 

It clarifies your points after you throw in a caveat that a defect is seemingly one of the reasons the system is reacting. This is precisely what people are complaining about and yet, you use it to validate the your argument that the system is operating as it should. That’s some weird logic, wouldn’t you say?