Poor Camera Visibility System Disabled Error (2020 Mazda CX-5)

[Soba1]

This is the second time I took my car to the dealer regarding this issue.
They say it’s because dirt might be affecting it or it’s because of the sun.
Is this accurate or am I getting the run around.
Thanks

 

[cz5gt]

thats normal when driving towards the sun at specific angle, yes.
Nothing the dealer can do as far as I know.
Once the sun no longer shines into the camera , the system would resume operations.
I get the same quite frequently when driving west/north west around 5pm+\- and when the sun is lower on the horizon or east in the early mornings

 

[Soba1]

thats normal when driving towards the sun at specific angle, yes.
Nothing the dealer can do as far as I know.
Once the sun no longer shines into the camera , the system would resume operations.
I get the same quite frequently when driving west/north west around 5pm+\- and when the sun is lower on the horizon or east in the early mornings

Thanks, thats kind of crappy though. It’s a design flaw that’s to me not cool.
You pay all this money for a vehicle and we have to accept this design flaw.

 

[cz5gt]

latest cx5s come with newer part number for the camera. May be its fixed with 2021+.
I dont pay so much attention anymore but the first time it happened with all those sounds and warning msgs it was wtf experience

 

[Soba1]

latest cx5s come with newer part number for the camera. May be its fixed with 2021+.
I dont pay so much attention anymore but the first time it happened with all those sounds and warning msgs it was wtf experience

I just bought it so I’m not cool with it. For me it is a safety issue considering it affects the adaptive cruise control

 

[Sig cx-5]

I just bought it so I’m not cool with it. For me it is a safety issue considering it affects the adaptive cruise control

I've only had this happen 1 time in the past 3 years. The sun was right in my eyes, and I needed to move the visor so I could just see above the car in front of me. There's no way I would have been using adaptive cruise in that situation. It almost sounds like yours may be out of alignment, if you felt safe enough to be using it. Did you get any warranty with your recent purchase?

 

[youri]

It should only affect adaptive cruise control under 15 mile per hour (or at a low speed like that, i forgot what the speed threshold actually is). Above those speed the adaptive cruise control relies on a radar and is not affected by the sun. This is a limitation of the technology used. Cameras and laser sensors can’t cope with direct sunlight. It blinds them the same way it blinds people.

This should only happen on rare occasions and for short period of time however, if it happens often at various time of the day then you may have a mechanical/technical issue to be resolved.

 

[Soba1]

I've only had this happen 1 time in the past 3 years. The sun was right in my eyes, and I needed to move the visor so I could just see above the car in front of me. There's no way I would have been using adaptive cruise in that situation. It almost sounds like yours may be out of alignment, if you felt safe enough to be using it. Did you get any warranty with your recent purchase?

I have an extended warranty and I have brought it to the dealer twice they have given me the same song and dance. I will probably continue to get the same run around.

 

[Soba1]

It should only affect adaptive cruise control under 15 mile per hour (or at a low speed like that, i forgot what the speed threshold actually is). Above those speed the adaptive cruise control relies on a radar and is not affected by the sun. This is a limitation of the technology used. Cameras and laser sensors can’t cope with direct sunlight. It blinds them the same way it blinds people.

This should only happen on rare occasions and for short period of time however, if it happens often at various time of the day then you may have a mechanical/technical issue to be resolved.

I did have an issue with it once traveling at high speeds

 

[youri]

What i mean is that adaptive cruise control should still work at high speed even with that warning. The warning will still pop up at high speed to inform you that the low speed system is disabled but it doesn’t affect everything.

On the screenshot you took of the warning, the icon shown ( the car crashing into another car icon) is the smart city brake support icon. Usually this comes with another warning that says something along the lines of: adaptive cruise control disabled under xx mph.

From the owner manual:
“In the following cases, the MRCC with Stop & Go function system is cancelled when the vehicle is travelling at 30 km/h (19 mph) or less and “Mazda Radar Cruise Control disabled under 30 km/h” is displayed in the multi-information display.

• The Forward Sensing Camera (FSC) cannot detect target objects (There is problem with the Forward Sensing Camera (FSC) or windscreen is dirty).”

There are a lot of scenario in the manual that identifies situation where the sensors cannot work and its consequences. In all cases the car warns you by stating which system is disabled, so you know not to falsely rely on it when that happens. Check the Forward Sensing Camera (FSC) (Some Models) in the i-activesense section.

I understand your disappointment that these so called automatic system don’t work 100% of the time, but i would be surprised if you found a car model that didn’t have these kind of limitations for these capabilities. You can always return the car and shop for something else.

 

[Soba1]

What i mean is that adaptive cruise control should still work. The warning will still pop up at high speed to inform you that the low speed system is disabled but it doesn’t affect everything.

I get it but it’s just the principle thanks

 

[youri]

Oups, i edited my last post at the same time you were answering. I should have created a new post instead….typing on my phone takes too long.

 

[Soba1]

Oups, i edited my last post at the same time you were answering. I should have created a new post instead….typing on my phone takes too long.

Understood

 

[181962]

This is the second time I took my car to the dealer regarding this issue.
They say it’s because dirt might be affecting it or it’s because of the sun.
Is this accurate or am I getting the run around.
Thanks

In my 2020, over 21 months and 9,000+ miles, I've not had this message appear nor the one's described in the owners manual. As others have noted, the affects of sunlight should be relatively rare, a peculiar set of circumstances. A few important additional points about these systems:

1) Cameras behind glass will have inherent limitations. While you may be thinking about how your smart phone camera adjusts to all kinds of light conditions, try shooting a pic through a window with glare, dirt, water, road salt or ice. Given what these systems are asked to do, they should be erring on the side of caution so you don't kill yourself. If such cameras are not behind glass, the problem would be worse with water, dirt, salt, etc. directly on the lens. Consider how backup cameras get cloudy with any of that stuff on the lens. Then there's the matter of fog. No camera of any kind is going to get a clear shot through pea soup.

2) Read your manual starting at page 4-207 and read the laundry list of warnings and cautions. Something besides light and windshield crud may be affecting the performance of your camera. Any other car would have similar warnings.

3) This is not a design flaw. It is a technological limitation of cameras not unique to your vehicle or Mazdas or this price point. Consider the following "Autopilot" warning from the Tesla S 2022 manual, a vehicle that would set you back $100,000+, which has three forward facing cameras and numerous other cameras and sensors:

"Ensure all cameras and sensors are clean before each drive. See Cleaning Cameras and Sensors for more information. Dirty cameras and sensors, as well as environmental conditions such as rain and faded lane markings, can affect Autopilot performance."

Model S Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn about Autopilot and its specifications.

www.tesla.com

There is no such thing as "autopilot", self-driving, or autonomous functions no matter what Elon Musk or anybody else tries to sell you. Think about Tesla drivers whose vehicles are being splashed with slush and road salt who think their vehicle can drive itself.

In fact, certain functions in your Mazda may work better under specific conditions since Tesla discontinued the use of radar some months back. I don't know if Musk has backtracked on that since.

 

[181962]

I did have an issue with it once traveling at high speeds

The 2020 manual states on page 4-152 that auto cruise will not operate at speeds above 90 mph, if that happened to be your situation.

 

[181962]

What I mean is that adaptive cruise control should still work at high speed even with that warning.

That doesn't sound right.

Check the warnings in the Front Sensing Camera section (starting at page 4-207 in the 2020 manual). There are all kinds of conditions where MRCC with Stop and Go is disabled if the camera is not able to function properly. It does not appear to differentiate between the MRCC function vs the Stop and Go function. It looks like all or nothing. I sure hope so. Here's one example among several:

"If the Forward Sensing Camera (FSC) cannot operate normally due to backlight or fog, the system functions related to the Forward Sensing Camera (FSC) are temporarily stopped and the following warning lights turn on. However, this does not indicate a malfunction.

 High Beam Control System (HBC) warning light (amber)
 Lane-keep Assist System (LAS) & Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) warning indication
 Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go function (MRCC with Stop & Go function) warning indication
 Smart Brake Support/Smart City Brake Support (SBS/SCBS) warning indication/ warning light (amber

Imagine what would happen if what you said was true. You're cruising along at highway speed and come up upon a traffic stoppage. The car starts to slow down. As it hits 19 mph, the point where you expect the vehicle to stop itself, it doesn't and an alarm goes off. In that WTF moment you slam the guy in front. In the absence of a specific warning in advance that the Stop & Go specifically is not working before you get to that point, it would be quite dangerous. I don't see anything that says such a differentiation exists. It's all or nothing.

 

[181962]

Some of you guys post a lot without having updated your profiles to show the year and trim of your car below your screen name. The moderators don't want us telling people to do this for fear it will drive away newbies. But c'mon--if you post a lot, why not? It avoids confusion.

 

[youri]

I am just going by what i recall from the warning i get from my car (2018 CX-9). It happens often in winter when ice and fogging happens on the glass in front of the camera. I am pretty sure it says “ disabled under xx km/h” but i don’t have hard proof for now.

 

[youri]

Some of you guys post a lot without having updated your profiles to show the year and trim of your car below your screen name. The moderators don't want us telling people to do this for fear it will drive away newbies. But c'mon--if you post a lot, why not? It avoids confusion.

Added it under vehicles in my account. Not sure it worked.

 

[181962]

Added it under vehicles in my account. Not sure it worked.

It works. Thanks.