DRCC (Dynamic Radar Cruise Control) Weirdness

Snow/ice buildup on the radar and other sensors or cameras will effect these systems. Pretty sure its mentioned in the manual and recommended that you not use them in weather.

 

It sounds like it was right on the edge of seeing and not seeing the other cars due to stuff on the front of your car and stuff in the air in front of your car. It might be that in that situation, the system isn't programmed well enough to make a solid decision to disengage.

 

I've also noticed that snow/ice and heavy rain cause the DRCC to not function well. Not really a surprise for a radar based system. It happens to all of us. Think of how your visual acuity decreases in 'weather.'

 

Any driver safety instructor and probably any cop will tell you to NOT use CC in adverse weather and or heavy traffic conditions. As stated earlier, pretty sure the manual says the same thing. Doesn't it just seem like a common sense type of thing to not use it in those weather conditions?

 

When I was a computer programmer; in another life, we used to say - " a computer does what you tell it to do; NOT what you want it to do".
If that makes senses to y'all.

 

Mine also doesn't work great even in light rain. My Mercedes worked flawlessly, unless snow built up on the sensor. Which happened pretty much every time I drove while it was snowing.

 

Did the Mercedes use the same type of sensor has Toyota?

 

They're both radar ... that's all I know.

 

They could be different frequencies. The mm band Toyota uses does lose effectiveness with water droplets in the air. Mercedes could simply be using more than one sensor.

 

Cruise control should never be used in any inclement weather once pavement becomes fully wet. Any dynamic system that relays on radar is likely to be even more problematic, as even before pavement gets wet, it can be confused by raindrops and/or snowflakes.

 

It's wierd, if there is a fair amount of mist coming off the car in front of you the sensor is pretty much blind on the Prime. My 2014 Mazda3 wasn't afflicted by this issue. But in all reality you shouldn't be using the cruise control in the rain or snow anyways.

 

Different companies can be using different technology to attain the same goal. Toyota is using mm band radar and Subaru cameras for example.

 

Mazda is also us

Mazda apparently uses a nearly similar tech. It could be how the visual is coming across though.

 

Could be a different wavelength, sensor placement, or even the use of multiple sensors over just one.

 

Likely. I think they use two in the front bumper behind the plastic.

 

2020 RAV4 seems decent in rain and fog. I suppose I should be more careful though. Had some fog in the Appalachian mountains last week and it seemed obvious the pick-up trucks going faster than me must have had the radar on too.