Emergency stop signal system disable?

[user 816]

I have been looking at a way to disable the Emergency Stop Signal System (it automatically flashes the hazard lights if you brake quite hard)

In principle its a good idea, to try give more warning to people behind that your braking fast but its too sensitive for me and goes off just when I am driving hard and no one is anywhere near behind, its embarrassing and likely to be misconstrued by other people in front as a message such as saying they are a 'hazard'

Basically I don't like it. I want to decide when things operate not the car!
Doesn't seem to be a fuse, relay or a settings in the MMC or dashboard menu.

Anyone know if a dealer can disable via their diagnostics equipment?

 

[anko]

Ask your tax-inspector

 

[jaapv]

saying they are a 'hazard'

Well, aren't most drivers? :mrgreen:

 

[Titan]

If there's no one near you, who are you going to be embarrassed by?

 

[maby]

How hard are you driving it??? I've done a few quite sharp stops and never seen it go off. Could yours be poorly calibrated? I think mine would not go off much before I'm into ABS territory.

 

[user 816]

If there's no one near you, who are you going to be embarrassed by?

I meant close enough to rear end me. Anyone else on the road, especially in front might think your saying 'your a hazard'

 

[user 816]

How hard are you driving it??? I've done a few quite sharp stops and never seen it go off. Could yours be poorly calibrated? I think mine would not go off much before I'm into ABS territory.

I wonder this too. Yesterday I was on some quiet dual carriageway going well, pretty quick, just took the exit ramp up to a roundabout and started braking firmly but progressively (certainly no emergency stop) and I see the hazard button flashing like crazy.

Apparently its down to rate of deceleration, speed of hitting the brake and other factors. I don't mind these gizmos but why can't they put options to choose if you want them on or off.

 

[puckernutter]

It should not go off suddenly without a car in front of you. However, there is possibility sometimes that it might do that in curves where there are reflex signs positioned which the system might misinterpret as a car.

FCM has a "near" and "far" mode. Near mode is REALLY near to go have it go off. You toggle it by longpress on the button.

 

[maby]

It should not go off suddenly without a car in front of you. However, there is possibility sometimes that it might do that in curves where there are reflex signs positioned which the system might misinterpret as a car.

FCM has a "near" and "far" mode. Near mode is REALLY near to go have it go off. You toggle it by longpress on the button.

I think we are talking about different things here - the FCM is a feature of the "hs" model and uses the forward facing radar. The "Emergency stop signal system" is present on the lower trim levels and makes use of sensors in the braking to detect that you are decelerating hard - turning on the warning lights.

 

[puckernutter]

Oh sorry, didn't read it very closely.

 

[Regulo]

I've only had to do one real hard stop so far (and it was quite severe, child ran onto a pedestrian crossing when the lights were in my favour), but the hazards didn't come on. I'd agree there might be a problem with your sensitivity setting, although what can be done about it . . .? My old Volvo would only turn the hazards on if you were ABSing on a dry road!

 

[user 816]

I've only had to do one real hard stop so far (and it was quite severe, child ran onto a pedestrian crossing when the lights were in my favour), but the hazards didn't come on. I'd agree there might be a problem with your sensitivity setting, although what can be done about it . . .? My old Volvo would only turn the hazards on if you were ABSing on a dry road!

I think I saw somewhere its only active above 34mph or something like that so that is probably why it didn't go off for you?

Anyway I have asked the question of Mitsubishi.

 

[anko]

You really think they will advise you on how to disable a safety feature? Right!

 

[maby]

You really think they will advise you on how to disable a safety feature? Right!

You can turn the Vehicle Stability Control off and that seems to be a more fundamental safety feature than the automatic hazard lights.

 

[user 816]

You really think they will advise you on how to disable a safety feature? Right!

You can turn the Vehicle Stability Control off and that seems to be a more fundamental safety feature than the automatic hazard lights.

Agreed, you can also disable the pedestrian warning system with a button, you can even override the auto lights and drive in the dark if you want :lol:

Looking through the diagrams from the service manual (elsewhere on this forum) there is no simple electrical solution and its quite an eye opener as to the hidden complexity of a modern vehicle like the PHEV. There are a vast number of dedicated processors on the CAN bus to run every little function.

The hazard/indicator lights are controlled by a lighting processor controlled by the ETACS ECU which receives the state of the hazard switch and so on - so its all down to software.

Apparently the ETACS ECU is the central processor for looking after you, it does things like turn your lights off if you forget for example. There are groups out there that are into hacking this processor and have even written tools to do so (their main aim being to modify or enable features simply disabled in some countries or on cheaper models)

I don't have time to learn all that so will have to live with it I guess. My more urgent job is grinding down some LED's to replace the DRL's.

 

[greendwarf]

You really think they will advise you on how to disable a safety feature? Right!

You can turn the Vehicle Stability Control off and that seems to be a more fundamental safety feature than the automatic hazard lights.

Isn't that to improve traction when using the 4WD lock if the wheels start spinning - i.e. a safety override?

 

[jaapv]

Yes it is meant for normal operation and should be turned off when needing 4 WD lock.

 

[aitchjaybee]

Bob, does sound as though you have a sensitive version (or are driving in deep sea diver lead boots <wink>). In case it helps you decide to live with it, it came about after research showed the hazard lights decreased reaction time enormously in unexpected emergency stops. Helpful if you are incapacitated etc., if you plough into the back of a queue of stationary traffic / horse in the road / head on with someone coming the other way, it gives some warning to people behind you to try and stop them slamming into back of you. I know its a 0.1% chance but looking at your last post I think you are resigned to having it on, hope this may help feel a tiny bit ok about that!
HJB

 

[user 816]

Bob, does sound as though you have a sensitive version (or are driving in deep sea diver lead boots <wink>). In case it helps you decide to live with it, it came about after research showed the hazard lights decreased reaction time enormously in unexpected emergency stops. Helpful if you are incapacitated etc., if you plough into the back of a queue of stationary traffic / horse in the road / head on with someone coming the other way, it gives some warning to people behind you to try and stop them slamming into back of you. I know its a 0.1% chance but looking at your last post I think you are resigned to having it on, hope this may help feel a tiny bit ok about that!
HJB

Hi,

Yes I have resigned myself to it, and I agree its a good safety idea, its just not if it goes off unnecessarily that annoys me. Call me old school but I like to operate the car myself, I deal with technology daily that some bright spark thinks he can improve.

Mitsubishi's answer was 'its not a good idea to disable as it may affect the warranty' eh? so in other words they were useless as expected.

 

[anko]

Stupid response. If they had referred to liability or such, the result would have been the same but the feeling rather different.