It’s known that most modern cars come equipped with new technologies that make driving easier – The park assist feature is one of them.
The park assists will enhance your parking experience by helping you enter and exit a parking space.
You don’t have to find a parking space since the parking assistant will find a convenient spot and direct you on what to do (braking and acceleration). In most cases, it takes control of the wheel, for example, Modern-day Mercedez Benz.
However, sometimes you’ll summon the park assistance and get a park assist Blocked message on the DIC. Don’t fret; car systems are prone to failure at times.
And you know the troubles with manual parking (to and fro movement), especially in tiny spaces – thanks to technology.
In this article, I’ll further explain what it means if your park assist got blocked, why it got blocked, and how to Reset a blocked park assist.
What does a Park Assist Blocked message mean?
The park assists technology is a feature that comes with modern-day cars that aids in finding a parking spot, giving directions, and parking the car in some cases. Information regarding your park assist’s status will be displayed on your dashboard.
For Instance, a Silverado whose park assist is blocked will display a “park assist block’ notification on its dashboard to signify a fault or malfunctioning in the park assist.
Some models will develop the ‘Park Assist blocked read owner’s manual’ notice on the driver information center (DIC). If you often use this feature, you must immediately get your car to an auto repair shop.
Notwithstanding, you can check out some Do-it-yourself tips that you can test-run before consulting a mechanic.
Reasons why Park Assist gets Blocked
One or more of the below factors are the primary cause of a failed or blocked park assist.
- Presence of Dirt and Debris
- Faulty Park assist sensor
- An issue in the wiring harness of the Park assist
- Extreme weather conditions
- Driving at high speed
- Towing Vehicles
- Problematic PCM
A Park assistant covered in dirt or debris due to driving off-road or improperly washing your vehicle might not function properly.
Also, Extreme weather conditions might cause ice or snow to cover the park, making it fail or stop responding.
In addition, don’t expect the Park assistant to work when trying to park at a very high speed, except if you’re in haste or an armed robber. I don’t see a reason why you should park at a very high speed. It could also save you from bashing your vehicle.
Since the park assists are mostly attached to the rear or back bumpers, using a towing vehicle might default the installed park assist.
Finally, since the PCM is the overall brain of the vehicle, a malfunctioning one can cause it to stop receiving signals from the park assists even when everything is fine.
Once the above factors are addressed, your park assist will return to life.
Continue reading to learn how to test and unblock a park assist sensor.
How to Test a Park Assist Sensor
While a faulty park assist sensor could be a complex issue that’ll require the service of a mechanic, you must run some background fixes that might fix the problem and save yourself the cost. First, check the DIC for a “Park Assist Faulty” warning.
If you follow the steps outlined in this article, you should be done testing the sensor within two hours; you could also opt-in for numerous tests before concluding.
The steps are listed below.
- Remove all your parking assist sensors.
- Switch your multimeter to 2000k ohms.
- Place the multimeter on pin 1 and Pin 2 terminal pins on the sensor and take your results.
- Switch the multimeter to 20k ohms
- Test both pins again
- You should get a reading between 10 as the test result.
If no outputs came out on either 2000k or 20k, then the park assist has been blocked. However, if the sensor(s) reads 800 to 900 on a 2000k setting and below 9.7 on 20k, you’ll need to get a sensor replacement as soon as possible.
How to Unblock Park Assist
The best guide for unblocking a park assist is with your car manufacturer; you can also check your car manual to see if you will be provided with an unblocking technique, or better still, contact your manufacturer.
Nevertheless, here’s a guide for Honda and Acura car owners; you could also implement it and see if it unblocks park assist on your vehicle.
- Turn your ignition ON.
- Continuously tap the park assist button at least 10 times
- Turn the vehicle ignition OFF
- Tap and hold on the park assist button
- Switch on the vehicle while the park assist button is still pressed down
- Wait some time and see if it responds.
You should get a beep sound twice to notify you that the reset action is successful; if the reverse occurs, you should take your vehicle to an auto technician.
PARK ASSIST FAQs
Q: Where is the Park Assist sensor located?
The park sensors are located on your car’s front and back bumper. It helps make parking more accessible by identifying objects 4 feet in front and 8 feet behind the vehicle. The park assist can be disabled by tapping the park assist button, using the setting menu, or turning the steering.
Q: How do I Clean the Park Assist sensor
You can use a neat, damp cloth to clean the parking sensors. Get a material, immerse it in water, squeeze it, and use it to wipe the sensors gently.
Q: How do I turn my park assist back on?
The park assist has a specialized button on your car dashboard to enable or disable the feature by toggling ON and OFF.
If you don’t find the park assist button on your car, you can consult your manufacturer’s guide, or there might also be a probability that park assist isn’t available for your vehicle.
Conclusion
A faulty park assist (sensor) can frustrate the driver, especially when it appears unannounced.
If you’ve tried the above fixing guide and the problem persists, take your vehicle to an auto repair shop.
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