DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

No, I'm going to ask you to exit and cease posting in it instead.

You've given your opinion on this topic (more than) exhaustively.

GSFRX350

Have some common sense.

It's an ASSISTANCE technology, you work with it, you don't just let it "do it's thing" totally without surveillance.

The manual states it may not work correctly when there's road curves or when the lanes are
narrow. It also states in detail about the limitations of the system and that; "Driving safely is the sole responsibility of the driver. Do not rely solely on the system,
and drive safely by always paying careful attention to your surroundings."

Laytonl

Is it possible to permanently disable the radar cruise control. It’s dangerous.

IntrinoX

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, simply don’t use it?

FlopTop04

Not sure if it's possible to permanently disable it, but being as you have to turn Cruise Control to ON with every vehicle startup to use it, you can just hold the ON/OFF button for >1.5 seconds each time to use standard constant speed Cruise Control.
Found that info on Page 309 of my 2018 RX350 Owners Manual.
I never use Radar Cruise Control. I hate to be on a long trip and look down at my speed and see I'm going way under the speed the limit/set speed because I'm following/pacing the car ahead.

Laytonl

My compliant is that it defaults to radar control. I want it to default to regular cruise control.

ravenuer

True, but all you have to do is hold the button in for a second or two when you want the cruise. That's all I ever did.

mikemu30

And most drivers don't want conventional cruise any longer. Old technology.

PhxBill

I can’t comprehend why people complain about it. I use mine, with the adaptive cruise control ON, practically every time I get on the freeway and it has performed admirably. I have had people suddenly switch into my lane and practically stop right in front of me, and the ACC braked immediately. When cars in front of me have slowed down slightly, it has adjusted my speed smoothly and then resumed my set speed, again smoothly. The default mode is the safest form (it reacts to cars farthest away) and since I bothered to read the manual to understand how the system works, sure if you let it stay on the default mode (the 3 bars) it might slow down unnecessarily if you take a curve or something. However, I always found its braking to be smooth even under that condition. I personally usually set it back down to 2 bars using the push button on the steering wheel, just one click and it’s good. I’ve tried the closest-distance setting (1 bar) and it’s performed perfectly fine. Of course, I exercise common sense, I don’t use cruise control in stop-and-go conditions but when traffic has suddenly stopped in front of me, it handled it exactly as required. In my opinion this is so much better than plain old non-adaptive cruise that there’s no way I would buy a vehicle without it. And to not use cruise control on long trips is an invitation to driver fatigue.

I have found almost every safety system on this car to be extremely useful (and trouble-free) and a great aid to accident avoidance. The only system I have disengaged is the lane-keeping stuff, they’re doing road construction near me so every time I drive I have to cross the old lane markings and the system doesn’t want me to. No problem, I read the manual and/or checked this forum and saw how to disengage that feature. Gee, what a concept, I actually bothered to read how something works.

Badhobz

i think its only dangerous if you become to reliant on it. Between having radar cruise on and lane tracing on, it practically drives itself on highways. I used it to go on a 6h+ drive last weekend and its easy to become complacent / drowsy

PhxBill

How is Adaptive Cruise Control “dangerous” or more dangerous than the old system? Let’s actually use logic. Suppose you have the cruise control set at an appropriate speed. Traffic is light and you have relaxed. Up in the distance is a car going considerably slower, perhaps its brake lights don’t work or whatever.
Old system: your car continues at its preset speed until you notice the problem ahead and react to it by hitting the brakes. Let’s hope you observe the problem in time to react. If you don’t react, your car has zero chance of slowing down. Zero.
New system: you set the cruise control to the appropriate speed. Slow car ahead, the system automatically adjusts your speed. No problem.

Ok, what if the new system somehow fails to detect the car ahead? Just like the old system, you the driver can (should) observe a problem ahead and apply your brakes. What if the system is too sensitive and “sees” a curve or a truck beside you? Your car slows down…it doesn’t skid your car into the ditch.

edited: Complacency or drowsiness is a perennial problem when driving long distances. For me, the safety systems add an extra layer of defense should my attention wander. A “drowsiness” detector that actually works would be a nice feature…

coolbrazz

Both systems can be dangerous if not used correctly. The manual is a must read to understand it's limitations like detecting low trailers.
Personally I don't use it much, but I like it better than the non-adaptive version.

ravenuer

I guess my logic is different than yours. If I have my manual cruise on and I see a slow car up ahead, why would you wait till you're on his azz and slam on your brakes in a panic? I'd merely cancel the cruise or just change lanes and pass him.

Laytonl

The dangerous issue for me is that just as I get ready to change lanes, the car automatically slows down due to the car ahead of me in the lane, which creates a problem with changing lanes. I live in the Atlanta area, which is the ‘Wild West’ of interstate travel where all lanes are either not moving or moving at 80 mph.

anyway, I assume from the responses, permanently disabling the radar control is not an option.

thanks to everyone for their comments.

PhxBill

I was just taking the “worst case” scenario in which a non-attentive driver suddenly realizes the car ahead is much slower. And sometimes changing lanes isn’t an option.