Motorist terrified to use her new car after it automatically applied emergency brakes while she was driving
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Published: 14:24, 14 May 2025 | Updated: 14:26, 14 May 2025
A terrified motorist has branded her new car a deathtrap after it automatically applied its emergency brake - for a shadow.
Helen Abbott has slammed Romanian car manufacturers Dacia, accusing them of dismissing her alleged phantom braking fears.
She said she has not felt safe to drive her 2023 Dacia Jogger since the incident 10 weeks ago and fears it could cause a motorway pile-up if it happens again.
Mrs Abbott's SUV is equipped with an 'active emergency braking' (AEB) system, which detects potential collisions before kicking in and hitting the brakes to avoid them.
However, the 55-year-old believes her motor is faulty, and said the brakes triggered in an empty Milton Keynes car park when she drove into the shadow of a bridge.
Luckily she was driving at a slow speed and there was no one behind her but the jolt left her with a whiplash injury, she says.
She said the car had randomly braked on her before but it was the first time she had caught it on camera.
'I'm terrified to drive it. It's basically been sitting on the driveway since,' Mrs Abbott added.
Helen Abbott has been left terrified by her Dacia Jogger, which she claims has activated its emergency braking system due to a shadow
Mrs Abbott, 55, says she is now too worried to drive the motor amid fears it could accidentally trigger its braking system unexpectedly again, causing a crash
The incident happened on February 28.
She called out the RAC and when she showed the recovery man the video he deemed the vehicle unsafe and towed it to the garage.
The garage ran diagnostics, which found no fault, but Mrs Abbott said they were also shocked when they saw the dashcam video.
Dacia sent an engineer to look at the car, but after conducting a 28-mile road test, he found no fault.
They quoted from the handbook a number of conditions that might affect the braking system including a 'complex environment' such as a bridge or tunnel and in adverse weather, such as snow or black ice.
They said in these conditions 'the system may not react, may warn the driver or may brake inadvertently'.
Mrs Abbott said: 'This wasn't the first time it had happened but this was the first time I had got it on camera.
'The first time I wasn't sure what had happened, I thought maybe my dog had pushed a button.
'The second time there was nothing to trigger it and I thought this isn't right. Then this was the third time.
She claims to have caught her car on film as its emergency brakes activated in an empty car park in February
Pictured is the moment Mrs Abbott claims to have caught her car's emergency braking system activating as she passed under the shadow of a bridge
'There were no cars moving, no people, no bikes and it was a clear, sunny day. The only thing that could have triggered it is the shadow from the bridge.
'I wasn't going fast and thankfully there was no one behind me but I still had a bad neck for a couple of weeks from the sudden braking.
'Dacia are saying it's normal and just quoted something out of the handbook, but I'm sorry this is not normal.
I find it unbelievable that they were so complacent about it.
'The dealer we bought it from couldn't find anything wrong when they ran diagnostics but when they saw the video they said that shouldn't have happened.
'Every person we have shown the video to deem it as dangerous.
'You cannot fully disconnect the system because it's a safety feature.
'I would have to turn the automatic braking system off every time I start up the engine and I worry that then opens up a whole can of worms - if you have turned it off and something happens does it make you liable?
'We could have part-exchanged it but we would have lost out by doing that and that would mean the car is still out there.
'I don't want to be the person that sells off my car and then it cause a massive pile up on the motorway.
Mrs Abbott has slammed Romanian car firm Dacia over the alleged fault with her SUV
'I'm really wary now, not just of our own car. If I see a Dacia I keep my distance.
'It seems to be a bigger problem, other people have raised similar issues. I cannot get my head around Dacia's attitude.'
Mrs Abbott has reported the issue to the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and has raised it with her MP, Emily Darlington.
Ms Darlington said: 'No one should be left feeling unsafe behind the wheel of a car, especially not when they've raised repeated, well-evidenced concerns and have been met with silence or dismissal.'
She told Mrs Abbott she would write to the DVSA requesting an update, contact Dacia's parent company Renault pushing for a proper response and raise the issue with the Department for Transport.
Mrs Abbott claims she is not the only one affected.
After joining a Facebook group for owners of the same model, she found five other people who said they had similar experiences of phantom braking.
A spokesman for Dacia UK said: 'We take the concerns of Mrs Abbott very seriously, and as such have covered an extensive road test with our expert in-house technician.
We have replicated driving conditions, including driving under bridges and have not been able to repeat the braking.
'It's widely known that some conditions can disturb the active emergency braking operation, such as: a complex environment (bridge, tunnel etc), poor weather conditions (snow, hail, black ice etc) and obstruction of the radar area (by dirt, ice, snow, condensation etc).
'This is not unique to our brand, as many car makers use similar technologies to meet mandated legal standards for safety provision.
'In these conditions, the system may not react, may warn the driver or may brake inadvertently.'
A DVSA spokesperson said: 'DVSA's priority is help everyone through a lifetime of safe driving.
'We are currently investigating a complaint relating to the Dacia Jogger.
'We have asked the manufacturer to investigate this and we are awaiting their response.'
References
- ^ TOM COTTERILL (www.dailymail.co.uk)