Among safety features being rolled out in new vehicles, automated emergency braking may hold the most potential to reduce injuries and save lives.
These systems use cameras and radar to detect obstacles in the path ahead — and deploy the brakes to avert collisions. But last month, federal safety officials opened a probe into a system installed on more than 553,000 Nissan Rogues from the 2017 and 2018 model years that, according to complaints filed by consumers, are slamming on the brakes even when no obstacles exist.
More than 800 motorists have lodged complaints about false positive incidents with Nissan Motor Co. and NHTSA.