Acura, the luxury vehicle division of Honda, has recently recalled about 48,000 vehicles globally over concerns regarding an automatic braking system glitch. The recall includes RLX sedans and MDX SUVs of 2014 and 2015 model years.
The Japanese car-maker's "Collision Mitigation Braking System" uses a radar for scanning the conditions that lie at the front of a car. The braking system technology can determine whether to apply the brakes of the vehicle in case it evaluates that the car is about to hit an object. This technology is beneficial as it reduces a car's speed proactively and reduces any potential damage.
However, the braking system in the recalled car may also get confused if a vehicle is accelerating in front of it and applies the brakes, which may result in an accident. Honda reveals that the first problem regarding the braking system in the recalled cars was reported in November 2013. The car-maker suggests that the car involved in the incident stopped abruptly, resulting in an accident. Honda is also investigating another incident that was reported with similar issues in June 2014.
The automaker was able to discover the fault and informed safety regulators regarding a recall. Honda claims that there have been no reports of any accidents in the U.S. due to the braking system glitch. The problem can be fixed for free, but owners of the affected vehicles will have to visit their nearby dealer to get a system software upgrade.
Autonomous braking can be a blessing in disguise, and experts suggest that the sophisticated braking system safety technology can be a real-world fault.
According to the Associated Press, Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst of UK-based automotive classified website called Autotrader, suggests that automatic braking is a fairly new technology. Many problems relating to the technology may not be visible when companies test their vehicles. These issues arise in real-life situations and automakers have to make necessary changes to the technology to adapt properly to the real world.
However, the braking system has great potential in reducing road accidents and saving lives. The National Transportation Safety Board is also urging that such technology be incorporated as standard in commercial vehicles and new cars.
