I hit a small wallaby recently. Not even a scratch to the bumper but the 'Pedestrian Protection System' was activated. This involved 2 studs 'exploding' at the windscreen end of the bonnet, raising the bonnet around 150mm (see pics). To my horror the estimated cost by the dealer to reset the system was $4.5K and included a new bonnet (which has no damage whatsoever but was associated with the hinge replacement!). Does anyone know of other options to secure the bonnet ?
you might be able to source the hinges and the module that kicks the bonnet up from a wrecker and reset the system if you have a tool to program the vehicle.
i would guess that if you do not install the modules that kick the bonnet up and reset the system you would have a permanent error warning about it like you would have for an airbag.
The estimate you were given seems to be in the same ballpark as what we're seeing in the States. This is a similar case to yours: Hit a Dog, Active Hood Deployed on '18 TourX. Post #20 has the final parts breakdown.
This Deployable Hood post also goes into detail about resetting/repairing the Pedestrian Impact Detection System (PIDS). In Post #11, MHoyt also shared an article (linked below as well) on the PIDS that states the system can be disabled by pulling a fuse. In that context, it's implied that this is done during service and not all the time. It's unknown if anything else runs through that fuse.
Finally, according to this post you should be able to remove the spent explosives, push the hood back down, and be good to go. But, you'll not be able to eliminate the warning until the parts are replaced.
By raising the rear hinges of the hood, the distance between a pedestrian's head and the engine is increased. Functioning exactly like an air bag, seat belt, and crumple zones, the idea is to extend the amount of time the body is decelerating. The extra space created allows the head of a pedestrian to sink into the hood, dispersing energy gradually (relatively speaking) and across a larger surface area, instead of immediately contacting the engine.
Thanks for the responses and advice. I will follow up and view the links. FYI I have discovered that pressing the reset button on the stalk two times, removes the warning message and normal notifications (speed, fuel consumption etc) are displayed. This is only temporary however until the engine is switched off. Upon restart, the error message appears again. I could live with this annoyance and not replace the actuators if I could find some way to secure the bonnet hinge.
A system designed to protect pedestrians should not deploy when hitting a small dog or wallaby. To do so simply means the system hasn’t been calibrated correctly or it’s defective in design
It shouldn’t be rocket science for any manufacturer to link the current sensors to video analysis mechanism to actually detect a pedestrian is being hit and an expensive $4500 deployment is actually required.
Surely insurance companies wouldn’t be pleased at such expensive and unnecessary pedestrian protection deployments with some lobbying in the background... or not since we ultimately pay yje price.
If your ‘re not keen on an insurance claim, maybe consider whether a false deployment may mean the system is not fit for purpose. If so, there is an ACL issue for the seller/manufacturer to resolve at their cost...
Me I’m glad my VF doesn’t have such protection measures I’d be peeved at insurance excess charges and a hit to my claim history for something that otherwise would have been a cut and polish
As is, roads are dangerous places but silly pedestrians who are plugged into some streaming channel via their phone are often oblivious to their surrounds while running across a road. In such cases, they can be filtered from the gene pool via old carss with no pedestrian protection measures. These old cars can provide a valuable Darwinian improvement to society
The link I provided above mentions the sensors are calibrated to differentiate between humans and animals/small objects. All those front sensors are doing is supplying force information to the diagnostic module. Since that's the only data received, a wallaby/deer/dog is certainly hefty enough to trip the sensors. Maybe there is an argument to be made to the dealer, claiming a defect.
Some are already equipped with front pedestrian braking, which uses a camera system to detect pedestrians. When a pedestrian is detected, the system will apply the brakes automatically. I wonder if this system kicked in during these hinge detonations with no human present. You're right @Skylarking, theoretically, a simple IF/AND/THEN statement in code would suffice.
"IF pedestrian detected by camera AND a force is applied to bumper sensors, THEN activate hood hinge actuators."
My guess is this approach was thrown out the window because camera systems are not perfect and when it comes to safety systems, it's better to err on the side of caution. And although I don't disagree with your Darwinian mentality... if I, for some unfortunate reason, hit a pedestrian... I'll always prefer not to kill someone vs. the alternative.
There's no denying vehicles are becoming over-engineered, near impossible to work on at home, and generally plagued with software or electrical gremlins. It really makes you appreciate the simplicity of the older vehicles. But, there's also no denying vehicles are safer than they ever have been. Despite the system's downsides, it works:
"If you consider the European market alone – where GM first introduced this system in 2007 – we have seen the number of fatalities drop by 50 percent in the last 10 years,” said Wahaj Hussain, lead Active Hood Systems engineer at GM, who led the development and integration of the new technology.
