Today I have received my 2012 Outlander GT. One of the options I have ordered was the MZ380465EX (rear parking sensors kit). I thought I could activate the rear sensors by using a rear parking sensor switch (ON/OFF) located in the switch push button area. I was wrong. The system, even the buzzer/sonar, is located in the rear of the car. This is a departure from Outlander cars in Europe and Australia where the ECU Corner/Back sensor-ECU (proper module) are located just under the driver instrumentation panel which control the flow of signals to the sensors in the rear of the car.

The US sensor kit is just a very elementary set of harnesses that are attached to the interior of the rear bumper following the path of the side marker lights. Electrical energy is drawn from the reverse rear light lamp wires (when the reverse gear is engaged) to energise the parking sensors. This arrangement is just a very cheap (that anybody or garage) can perform. This arrangement only works when the car is engaged in reverse.

If you have a trailer, or anything that you are pulling it will activate the buzzer when reversing even if you are in the middle of nowhere. A high level of electronics is involved in the manual activation or manual deactivation of the rear parking sensors and a separate module (ECU) is needed just to control a set of combinations of engaging reverse without/with buzzing.

My dealer’s explanation was that (after consulting with MMA!) he told me that the US government has given a rule forbidding the deactivation of the buzzer and sensors while reversing. This is, according to the dealer, the justification of why Mitsubishi (Japan) has installed, for the US market, the parking sensor, without an On/Off switch, so it always buzzes when reversing and approaching something.

I wonder if such a rule has even been given by the US government for cars of any make from 2012. This contradicts the fact that option MZ380465EX (Mitsubishi cars) has been on the market since 2010 (December). The kit has never been sold with sonar switch, nor with a mini ECU (Corner/back sensor-ECU) that control all the combinations (reversing/non reversing-buzzer on/buzzer off, switch on/ switch off, etc) so how can the US government give a rule for a kit that never had a sonar switch included, nor a corner/back sensor-ECU to control all the combinations buzzer/reversing/switch. This is what happens with Mitsubishi cars in Europe and Australia where the control of the sonar/reversing/switch ECU is located under the driver instrumentation panel.

Please give your comments about this weird US rule.

 

Here in Australia only MM cars with factory build reverse sensors get the switch on the dash. If the kit is fitted by the dealer there is no manual switch. However, the standard trailer connector (on the car side) has a switch in the hinged cover and, if the dealer connects it correctly (at least on Pajero / Montero), it disables the sensors when the cover is opened to insert the trailer wiring plug. All it does is break the ground connection to the sensor controller.

That has the advantage over the factory fitted sensors that it automatically disables the sensors when a trailer is connected. However, the factory fitted sensors have the option to change the sensitivity area of the inner pair of sensors so they don't detect the hitch tongue and ball if you leave them fitted.

In my car (with factory sensors) the hitch wiring harness connects one side of the cover switch directly to the ETACS ECU and leaves the other side disconnected. So it appears there is the means to tell the ETACS when a trailer is connected. But whether the Australian ETACS is programmed to do anything with it I am not sure.