‘New cars think they’re smarter than the driver’: Nissan driver tries to reverse car in parking lot. It won’t let him

A frustrated man behind the wheel of a Nissan recorded his difficulties keeping the car in reverse. It's a problem that Kyster (@kyster58) attributes not to a faulty shifter or transmission, but rather, an overly sensitive parking assist/sensor feature on the vehicle.

The TikToker says it's situations like these that make him "hate new cars." However, several viewers wrote that there was a simple remedy to this problem.

No reverse for you

"This [expletive] is why I hate new cars," the TikToker says at the top of the video. Next, he attempts to put the car in reverse, recording himself clicking the shifter to do so. On the car's shifting mechanism an orange light jumps from the "P" indicator to its "R" one.

However, right when he does, the car begins beeping incessantly, which Kyster mocks. "Warning, warning, warning, warning! Shift to park because there's a pole in front of me. 'Cause I parked as close to the pole as possible," he says.

The grating beep isn't the only automatic safety feature implemented by his vehicle. Following this litany of noises, he demonstrates a physical precaution his vehicle's sensors implemented. "Look what it does when I go to put it in reverse: it automatically parks itself!" he says.

This means that, as a result, he cannot reverse his vehicle, as the car believes its in danger of crashing. He attempts to reverse again, kicking the car into backup mode. "Reverse...it parks itself," he says, showing the car automatically shifting back to "P" from "R."

Next, the man further vented his frustrations. "I can't move my car 'cause it's parking itself cause of the light pole. Cause of a sensor. This is stupid," he concludes.

Parking assist problem?

Several viewers cited Nissan's parking assist technology as the culprit. On Nissan's website, it highlights several vehicles in its lineup that come packed with park assist and full-on self-parking. The all-electric Nissan Ariya is highlighted as the brand's "featured vehicle" that's sporting this tech.

Other park-assist cars in its lineup are the new Rogue, Leaf, Altima, and Sentra. By utilizing what Nissan calls an "intelligent around view monitor" supported by sensors, drivers can get help parking. Ironically, Nissan writes that this technology allows commuters "to park in tight or small parking areas more easily."

However, it seems the sensors on the Nissan in Kyster's video were misreading his surroundings. Additionally, there have been instances reported by other Nissan owners with similar sensor gripes. Folks on this Nico Club forum purportedly had issues with their park assist sensors as well.

Disabling/fixing Park Assist sensors

If you think your parking sensors are not working properly, there are some solutions. This YouTuber showed off what seems to be a straightforward fix. All it involves is a thorough cleaning job of the sensors utilizing some WD-40 spray. According to him, this should work on every single car with these sensors.

Failing that, you could always bring your car to the shop to see what the deal is with them. In instances like Kyster's though, waiting to get a hefty repair bill isn't a luxury he had. That's because the parking assist sensors themselves weren't allowing him to leave his spot.

It's probably best to just disable the car's parking assist altogether. Another YouTube user, Steven Welch, shows how to do just that in this clip. Furthermore, checking your individual vehicle's owner's manual will delineate the park-assist disabling process.

Viewers weigh in

One shared in Kyster's anger, writing, "It's your car, you should be able to drive into whatever you want."

While another said, "You're in reverse why does it care what's Infront of you."

Someone else said oftentimes the safety features on newer vehicles ultimately backfire. "New cars think they’re smarter than the driver. They are so safe to the point that it's unsafe because you no longer have complete control of the vehicle."

@kyster58 #cars #mechanic #technician #automotivetechnician #sensor #newcars #nissan ♬ original sound - Kyster58

Another echoed this sentiment: "Totally agree, all this new technology is making bad drivers too comfortable."

Someone else simply quipped that the cause of Kyster's problems with the vehicle was the brand itself: "I see your issue, it's a Nissan."

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