Sponsored

Driver Alert Hates Me

OCSTEVE39

Well-known member
First Name
Steven
Joined
Jan 3, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
52
Reaction score
60
Vehicles
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash
So, I'm driving along in my three-day old Lightning (had Mach-E for two years) enjoying intelligent cruise control. It pops up, WATCH THE ROAD! Thought I was. HANDS ON THE WHEEL! Ok it no like where my hands were. Again, WATCH THE ROAD! This time I'm looking really hard with probably a weird look on my face, not good enough, popup, TAKE CONTROL and starts slamming the brakes on me. I'm afraid this may escalate to demanding my lunch money. I love intelligent cruise but now I'm all stressed-out man!
I turned off driver alert which is a stand-alone setting apart from cruise. Haven't tested it yet to see if that's my bully.

Anyone else finding the Lightning a little hall monitory?
Sponsored

 

broncoaz

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Threads
12
Messages
712
Reaction score
668
Location
Cape Cod, MA
Vehicles
2024 Lightning Flash, 2022 Toyota Highlander, 2001 Expedition, 2007 Solara
So, I'm driving along in my three-day old Lightning (had Mach-E for two years) enjoying intelligent cruise control. It pops up, WATCH THE ROAD! Thought I was. HANDS ON THE WHEEL! Ok it no like where my hands were. Again, WATCH THE ROAD! This time I'm looking really hard with probably a weird look on my face, not good enough, popup, TAKE CONTROL and starts slamming the brakes on me. I'm afraid this may escalate to demanding my lunch money. I love intelligent cruise but now I'm all stressed-out man!
I turned off driver alert which is a stand-alone setting apart from cruise. Haven't tested it yet to see if that's my bully.

Anyone else finding the Lightning a little hall monitory?
I just got my new Flash yesterday and put 60 miles on it. It didn’t seem as aggressive as our Tesla Y in the hall monitoring department.
 
OP
OP
OCSTEVE39

OCSTEVE39

Well-known member
First Name
Steven
Joined
Jan 3, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
52
Reaction score
60
Vehicles
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash
I just got my new Flash yesterday and put 60 miles on it. It didn’t seem as aggressive as our Tesla Y in the hall monitoring department.
Mine's Flash as well. Can't remember if driver alert was off by default when I picked it up. I went through and turned on a bunch of stuff I thought I was used to. Maybe driver alert was one of them.
 

Sponsored

Maquis

Well-known member
First Name
Dave
Joined
May 20, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
4,407
Reaction score
5,926
Location
Illinois
Vehicles
2021 Mach-E E4-X; 2023 Lightning Lariat ER
Oh good point. I am a high holder sometimes.
I also have a Mach-E. I always have to remember which vehicle I’m in because the cameras are in different locations. I cause most problems in the Lightning when I’m holding a drink in my right hand while resting it on the wheel.
 

The Weatherman

Well-known member
First Name
Dean
Joined
Apr 20, 2023
Threads
35
Messages
2,004
Reaction score
2,950
Location
South Central KY
Vehicles
2022 RR F150 Lightning Lariat ER, 2020 Explorer PL
Occupation
Retired
The nanyisum ( made up word) has actually gotten better over time. As of the last front sensor updates I have found it to be far less aggressive. Prior to that I was as frustrated as you and made my disappointment known to @Ford Motor Company
 
Last edited:

Zprime29

Well-known member
First Name
Brandon
Joined
Jul 26, 2022
Threads
44
Messages
2,763
Reaction score
3,027
Location
Tucson, AZ
Vehicles
2022 Lightning ER, 2025 XC90 Recharge
You have to wiggle the wheel when it says to put hands on the wheel. It's a torque sensor. I have to turn lane centering off when not on the highway. It centers so well that I don't have to make adjustments and then it thinks I'm not paying attention and I end up intentionally wiggling the wheel every 30 seconds.
 
OP
OP
OCSTEVE39

OCSTEVE39

Well-known member
First Name
Steven
Joined
Jan 3, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
52
Reaction score
60
Vehicles
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash
Just drove it around the block a bit more. The eyes alert is early and often, followed by hands which continues no matter how hard I hold, and the kicker is pop up that says camera can't see me. Think it needs looked at. That happened only once, and very briefly.
 

Heliian

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 9, 2023
Threads
5
Messages
2,073
Reaction score
2,411
Location
Canada
Vehicles
2023 LR Lariat, code name "Boogaloo"
Lower your steering wheel and sit centered in the seat.

If you're driving with a gangster lean the camera doesn't see you.

The hands on sensor only requires making small inputs on the wheel. You can use your knee and it doesn't know the difference.
 

Sponsored
OP
OP
OCSTEVE39

OCSTEVE39

Well-known member
First Name
Steven
Joined
Jan 3, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
52
Reaction score
60
Vehicles
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash
The "hands" alert requires you to "turn" the steering wheel, not for you to grip it tighter. There are no "grip" sensors so you could tighten your hands all you want and it will never know. They only way it knows your hands are on the wheel is if you turn the wheel left or right.

The camera is most likely only for eye tracking. I don't expect the camera has anything to do with the hands.
I'll certainly try that with the wheel. The Mach-e was satisfied with just laying the hand. With "watch the road" once moving side to side made it happy, consistently removing my polarized sunglasses (which was NEVER an issue in the Mach-E) worked. Also, it's an overcast day. Maybe that along with sunglasses? Just very surprised with this!
 

gbuydos

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2024
Threads
19
Messages
155
Reaction score
160
Location
Central Iowa
Vehicles
F150 Lightening Flash '24
I tried Blu Cruise in my new Flash today. It said "Hands Free is Available", but its not hands free. Kept telling me to put my hands on the wheel. I don't drive with hands at 10 and 2. Kills my rotator cuff. I usually have hands down on my knees and steer from bottom of steering wheel under normal cruise. How do you turn this off??? Normal cruise control is fine for me.
 

astrand1

Well-known member
First Name
Alex
Joined
Dec 16, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
757
Reaction score
805
Location
Michigan
Vehicles
2023 Ford F150 Lightning lariat ER
Occupation
Studio truck driver
When you say “intelligent cruise” I’m assuming you mean blue cruise. The driver alert that you turned off has nothing to do with BC. That’s just the warning that you get after awhile asking if you want to pull over and rest.
You have to wiggle the wheel when it says to put hands on the wheel. It's a torque sensor. I have to turn lane centering off when not on the highway. It centers so well that I don't have to make adjustments and then it thinks I'm not paying attention and I end up intentionally wiggling the wheel every 30 seconds.
You just need to rest your hand off center or at the bottom on one side or the other that’s all it takes. Or you can just use a little weight. I made one and that solves the issue.
 

astrand1

Well-known member
First Name
Alex
Joined
Dec 16, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
757
Reaction score
805
Location
Michigan
Vehicles
2023 Ford F150 Lightning lariat ER
Occupation
Studio truck driver
I tried Blu Cruise in my new Flash today. It said "Hands Free is Available", but its not hands free. Kept telling me to put my hands on the wheel. I don't drive with hands at 10 and 2. Kills my rotator cuff. I usually have hands down on my knees and steer from bottom of steering wheel under normal cruise. How do you turn this off??? Normal cruise control is fine for me.
if it does not turn the cluster blue and have a steering wheel with “hands free” in it then it’s not going into BC. BC is hands free and once it’s in you really don’t have to touch the wheel. What you were experiencing was lane centering which is similar but requires a touch of the wheel every 15sec or so unless you hang a small weight like something that’s about a pound or so then you don’t have to touch the wheel.
 

gbuydos

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2024
Threads
19
Messages
155
Reaction score
160
Location
Central Iowa
Vehicles
F150 Lightening Flash '24
Found on another forum, helps a little.


Ok I will explain the difference between adaptive cruise control and blue cruise. But first what I want you to do is go into your vehicle settings and under adaptive cruise control setting turn of speed sign recognition. That feature is too finicky at this point and reads too many signs that are not relevant and if you don’t have a tolerance set will always revert your speed back to right on the limit. Too many times it read a 50 sign for me on an off ramp and slammed the breaks while on the highway.

Ok now there is a difference between blue cruise and adaptive cruise control.

Blue Cruise is truly hands free but only works on pre mapped areas approved by ford and has some requirements for it to be allowed to activate.

Adaptive Cruise uses all the same sensors and technology’s but requires you to keep your hands on the wheel in case the car goofes since you are on maps where ford can’t be sure what the car may do.

Easy way to check if your in blue cruise is to see if your cluster is completely blue. Also if you’re not in the calm screen blue cruise will have a steering wheel icon and have hands free written across it. Adaptive cruise will have a steering wheel with 2 hands on it.

Blue cruise it will never ask for you hands it only uses two cameras to track your head/eyes and may yell at you to look at the road if it finds you looking elsewhere. What can happen is that since blue cruise uses pre mapped areas. If ford decides a certain section is too difficult at this time there may be a short break in mapped areas and what actually happens is blue cruise disengages and then it requires you to have your hands on the wheel during adaptive cruise control.

Blue cruise will also disconnect during medium and heavy rain.

Blue cruise will not work if it finds your cameras or sensors are blocked/dirty.

Like said if it asks for your hands you were not in blue cruise anymore and it disengaged for some reason. My best guess is there was a short break in the mapped area.
Sponsored

 
 







Top