Cleaning Porsche distance sensors

Jan. 28, 2025
Owners of Porsche vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control (ACC) may complain that during long trips, the ACC disengages and displays a warning message.

Owners of Porsche vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control (ACC) may complain that during long trips, the ACC disengages and displays a warning message. The customer may report that a significant portion of the trip had bad weather, few other vehicles present or few turns or hills. The technician may find DTC D0002 (sensor blind) in the ACC ECU.

Multiple conditions may cause this issue:

1. If ice/snow blocks the distance sensor, the ACC recognizes that it is “blind” and will disengage and display a warning message unless the blockage is cleared.

2. Featureless terrain/few other vehicles: If the road is featureless (few hills or turns) and the radar does not see another vehicle or object for an extended distance or time, it will also assume that it is “blind” and will disengage with a warning message. This is a limitation of the system.

Ensure that the distance sensor is clean and free of road debris.

About the Author

Mike Mavrigian | Motor Age Editor

Mike Mavrigian has written thousands of automotive technical magazine articles involving a variety of  specialties, from engine building to wheel alignment, and has authored more than a dozen books that crisscross the automotive spectrum. Mike operates Birchwood Automotive, an Ohio shop that builds custom engines and performs vintage vehicle restorations. The shop also features a professional photo studio to document projects and to create images for articles and books.

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