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If your Tucson just popped up the
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message, check forward collision
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avoidance system, don't panic. This
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usually isn't a mysterious electrical
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failure. First, park in a safe spot and
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shut the car off. Take a slow walk
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around the front and look for obvious
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stuff, ice, mud, road salt, or even a
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plastic bag stuck in the grill where the
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radar lives. The radar module is usually
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mounted behind the center of the front
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bumper grill and the forward camera sits
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behind the windshield near the rear view
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mirror. So, both spots need to be clean.
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If you find dirt or bugs, wipe them away
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gently with a soft cloth and mild soapy
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water. Don't use aggressive scrapers or
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high-pressure washers right on the
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sensor. Next, check the inside of the
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windshield at the top center where the
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camera is mounted. If the inside glass
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is greasy or there's a sun shade sticker
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in the way, clean it off and make sure
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the camera housing isn't loose. After
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cleaning both the outside sensor area
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and the inside windshield, restart the
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car and give the system about a minute
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to reself check. Often that clears the
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warning. If the message stays, open the
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vehicle settings and confirm forward
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collision avoidance is enabled.
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Sometimes settings get toggled or grayed
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out after an error, and toggling the
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feature off and back on can coax the
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system back to normal. On many Tucson
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models, you can reach driver assistance
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from the instrument cluster or
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infotainment settings and check forward
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collision avoidance there. If you've
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recently had bumper work, a windshield
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replacement, or added aftermarket
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accessories to the grill, those can
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misalign or block the sensors and will
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need addressing. If cleaning and
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toggling don't fix it, the next step is
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diagnostic. Use an OBD capable scan tool
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that can read body and driver assist
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modules or let a shop pull codes. The
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codes will usually tell you whether a
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sensor is simply blocked, misaligned, or
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failing. Don't try to take the radar
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module apart yourself. The owner manual
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warns against disassembling the
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detecting sensors. If the DTC's show
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calibration or hardware issues, or the
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system started after body or windshield
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work, book a calibration and inspection
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with an authorized dealer. These systems
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require precise alignment and sometimes
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a software update to work right. Dealers
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have the proper tools to calibrate the
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camera and radar and to update the ECU
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software if needed. Quick safety notes.
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Don't drive with the system disabled
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expecting it to help. And don't attach
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anything to the grill that sits in front
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of the sensor. If you get an
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intermittent message, it appears and
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disappears. Document when it happens and
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show that to the technician because that
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pattern helps pinpoint whether it's
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contamination, wiring, or a failing
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sensor. If you follow these steps,
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clean, check the camera, toggle the
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setting, scan for codes, and get dealer
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calibration when required, you'll
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resolve most check forward collision
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avoidance system messages without
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replacing expensive parts.
