Parking Aid System

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2018 Ford EcoSport. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

When the front and/or rear audible parking aid system is active, the PAM calculates the distance to an object within a 170 degree semicircular area (azimuth) around the front or rear of the vehicle. A variable-frequency warning tone is generated through the audio speakers in proportion to the distance the object is from the front and/or rear of the vehicle.

The rear parking aid system calculates the distance to an object around the rear of the vehicle using 4 ultrasonic sensors. The rear parking aid sensors detect objects approximately 183 cm (72 in) from the rear of the vehicle, 30 cm (12 in) from the rear side of the vehicle, and 30 cm (12 in) above the ground. To detect objects behind the vehicle, the PAM supplies voltage and ground to the rear ultrasonic sensors while monitoring a signal return circuit from each sensor. The 4 rear sensors share common voltage and ground circuits.

If equipped the front parking aid system calculates the distance to an object around the front of the vehicle using 4 ultrasonic sensors. The front parking aid sensors detect objects approximately 70 cm (27 in) from the front of the vehicle, 20 cm (8 in) from the front side of the vehicle, 30 cm (12 in) above the ground. To detect objects in front of the vehicle, the PAM supplies voltage and ground to the front ultrasonic sensors while monitoring a signal return circuit from each sensor. The 4 front sensors share common voltage and ground circuits.

Only objects that reflect a sufficient amount of sound waves are detected by the parking aid sensors. The surface properties, size and composition an object can affect the ability of the parking aid system to detect the object.

Also affecting the parking aid operation are:

Improper sensor installation or alignment
Dirt or ice covered sensors
Heavy rain or snow

The parking aid system detects objects under the following conditions:

The vehicle is in REVERSE (rear parking aid)
The vehicle is in any gear except PARK or NEUTRAL (front parking aid)
The vehicle is moving toward the object at 5 km/h (3 mph) or less
The vehicle is stationary and the object is moving toward the vehicle at 5 km/h (3 mph) or less
The vehicle and object are both moving toward one another and both are travelling at 5 km/h (3 mph) or less

Once vehicle speed reaches 12 km/h (7.5 mph) the parking aid system is disabled until the speed drops below 5 km/h (3 mph).