NHTSA Complaint #10747171 — 2015 DODGE DURANGO

THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (ACC) APPLIES THE BRAKES AND BRINGS THE VEHICLE TO A STOP WHEN FOLLOWING ANOTHER VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC. IF THE VEHICLE AHEAD DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD WITHIN TWO SECONDS (UNLIKELY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC) THE ACC DISPLAYS A MESSAGE IN THE DASH WARNING THE DRIVER TO PRESS THE BRAKE AND THEN SUDDENLY SHUTS OFF THE ACC AND RELEASES THE BRAKE CAUSING THE CAR TO BEING TO CREEP FORWARD. MY CAR CAME CLOSE TO ROLLING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME I USED THE ACC I DID NOT EXPECT THIS BEHAVIOR. THE ACC IS PROMOTED AS HAVING A STOP AND GO FEATURE. I EXPECTED THE ACC TO WAIT UNTIL THE CAR I WAS BEHIND TO RESUME SPEED AND THEN RESUME SPEED FOR MY CAR ACCORDINGLY. (THIS IS THE WAY I WAS USED TO THIS FEATURE WORKING IN MY MERCEDES S550). THERE IS A SOPHISTICATED CENTER DASH COMPUTER SYSTEM SHOWING CLIMATE, RADIO, NAV, ETC. I WAS EXPLORING THIS SYSTEM AND NOT WATCHING THE DRIVER INFORMATION DISPLAY IN THE DASH AND AS SUCH, MISSED THE VERY BRIEF MESSAGE WARNING ME TO APPLY THE BRAKE. BESIDES THE FACT THAT IN ESSENCE THIS CAR DOES NOT REALLY EMPLOY A STOP AND GO FEATURE FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES AND LULLS A NEW DRIVER INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY, THE CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION MAKES NO SENSE FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT. THE DRIVER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING FOR THE CAR TO RESUME FOLLOWING THE CAR IN FRONT. A LESS DESIRABLE, BUT BETTER IMPLEMENTATION WOULD BE TO REQUIRE SOME DRIVER INPUT TO THE CAR TO RESUME TRAVEL - BUT THIS CERTAINLY WOULD NOT QUALIFY AS A STOP AND GO ACC.