Driver-assist sensor problems: which cars have them

Short answer: among vehicles with US sales figures, the Honda Odyssey has the most complaints about driver-assist problems per 10,000 sold, followed by the Honda Passport and the Honda Ridgeline. Across all 25,589 federal complaints about it, owners reported a median of about 18,000 miles.

Federal complaints

25,589

Typical mileage

18,000 mi

Typical repair

—

What it is

Automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise and lane-keeping rely on cameras and radar. Owners report false alarms and phantom braking, systems that switch themselves off, and sensors that need recalibrating after a windshield or bumper repair.

What owners notice

Sudden braking with nothing ahead (phantom braking)
False collision warnings
Adaptive cruise or lane-keeping switching off
Sensor-blocked or system-unavailable messages

Vehicles with the most driver-assist problems

Complaints about this problem per 10,000 sold, for each vehicle’s model years old enough to judge. Each vehicle’s years start at the first model year with a cluster of these complaints, so a vehicle that got the part later isn’t diluted by years without it. Only vehicles with at least 25 such complaints are ranked (60 in all; top 25 shown).

1. Honda Odyssey 10.4 per 10k sold

661 complaints, 2016–2022 models · typically around 22,845 mi · most in 2018–2020 · estimate costs
2. Honda Passport 9.2 per 10k sold

156 complaints, 2019–2022 models · typically around 5,000 mi · most in 2019–2021 · estimate costs
3. Honda Ridgeline 6.3 per 10k sold

136 complaints, 2017–2022 models · typically around 4,900 mi · most in 2020–2022 · estimate costs
4. Volkswagen Atlas 5.0 per 10k sold

171 complaints, 2018–2022 models · typically around 6,000 mi · most in 2018–2019 and 2022 · estimate costs
5. Honda CR-V 4.2 per 10k sold

1,159 complaints, 2015–2022 models · typically around 16,750 mi · most in 2017–2019 · estimate costs
6. Nissan Kicks 3.5 per 10k sold

97 complaints, 2018–2022 models · typically around 6,000 mi · most in 2018–2020 · estimate costs
7. Honda Accord 3.1 per 10k sold

883 complaints, 2013–2022 models · typically around 15,000 mi · most in 2018–2020 · estimate costs
8. Nissan Sentra 3.1 per 10k sold

219 complaints, 2018–2022 models · typically around 13,274 mi · most in 2019–2021 · estimate costs
9. Ford Mustang 3.0 per 10k sold

188 complaints, 2015–2022 models · typically around 36,000 mi · most in 2015–2017 · estimate costs
10. Nissan Rogue 3.0 per 10k sold

738 complaints, 2015–2022 models · typically around 10,632 mi · most in 2017–2019 · estimate costs
11. Volkswagen Tiguan 2.5 per 10k sold

128 complaints, 2018–2022 models · typically around 5,700 mi · most in 2018–2019 and 2022 · estimate costs
12. Ford Expedition 2.3 per 10k sold

118 complaints, 2015–2022 models · typically around 87,500 mi · most in 2015–2017 · estimate costs
13. Ford Bronco 2.2 per 10k sold

34 complaints, 2021–2022 models · typically around 34,500 mi · most in 2021–2022 · estimate costs
14. Ford Escape 2.2 per 10k sold

551 complaints, 2013–2022 models · typically around 78,000 mi · most in 2015–2016 and 2020 · estimate costs
15. Honda Pilot 2.2 per 10k sold

487 complaints, 2005–2022 models · typically around 26,000 mi · most in 2019–2021 · estimate costs
16. Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 per 10k sold

40 complaints, 2018–2022 models · typically around 27,000 mi · most in 2022 · estimate costs
17. Ford Edge 2.1 per 10k sold

304 complaints, 2011–2022 models · typically around 65,000 mi · most in 2013–2014 and 2022 · estimate costs
18. Ford Explorer 2.0 per 10k sold

520 complaints, 2011–2022 models · typically around 69,000 mi · most in 2013, 2015 and 2020 · estimate costs
19. Mazda MAZDA3 1.9 per 10k sold

116 complaints, 2014–2022 models · typically around 12,500 mi · most in 2018–2020 · estimate costs
20. Hyundai Palisade 1.7 per 10k sold

43 complaints, 2020–2022 models · typically around 1,550 mi · most in 2020–2022 · estimate costs
21. Nissan Pathfinder 1.7 per 10k sold

63 complaints, 2017–2022 models · typically around 15,930 mi · most in 2018–2019 and 2022 · estimate costs
22. Kia Telluride 1.6 per 10k sold

43 complaints, 2020–2022 models · typically around 5,250 mi · most in 2020–2022 · estimate costs
23. Nissan Murano 1.4 per 10k sold

163 complaints, 2005–2022 models · typically around 27,150 mi · most in 2015 and 2017–2018 · estimate costs
24. Subaru Ascent 1.3 per 10k sold

36 complaints, 2019–2022 models · typically around 5,000 mi · most in 2019–2021 · estimate costs
25. GMC Acadia 1.1 per 10k sold

92 complaints, 2013–2022 models · typically around 41,000 mi · most in 2017 and 2020–2021 · estimate costs

Common questions

Which cars have the most driver-assist problems?

Among vehicles with US sales figures, the most complaints about driver-assist problems per 10,000 sold come from the Honda Odyssey (10.4), the Honda Passport (9.2) and the Honda Ridgeline (6.3). Rates cover model years old enough to judge.

At what mileage do driver-assist problems usually show up?

Across 25,589 federal complaints, the median mileage owners reported was about 18,000 miles. It varies a lot by vehicle; see the table.