When Michel Laforge bought his Subaru Impreza in 2023, he was sold on the vehicle’s crash-prevention technology.
But he’s come to doubt how safe it really is after his vehicle slammed the brakes for no apparent reason on five separate occasions.
“I wouldn’t get another vehicle that had this,” said Laforge, who lives in Sudbury, Ont.
The problem started a few months after he purchased the vehicle when he was driving back from Timmins, Ont., on Highway 144, an isolated two-lane road.
He was using adaptive cruise control, which allows the driver to set a certain speed.
A stereo camera system mounted behind the windshield monitors the road ahead and automatically adjusts the car’s speed to maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.
“I could see three kilometres in front of me,” said Laforge. “There wasn’t another vehicle in sight. It’s very remote.”
But the car braked suddenly, taking his …