2025 Nautilus cancelling adaptive cruise randomly

julez

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My Lincoln
2025 Nautilus R2
I'm new here, so I appologize if this has been covered in great detail elswhere as I couldn't find a search option.
This morning was my first drive to the office in the new 25 Nautilus. I drove it roughly 3 hours this weekend and got to try out BlueCruise, which seemed pretty good overall.

My drive to the office is a state road drive, and has been recently repaved and lined within the last year or so, so the lines are very clear.
However, I had a several times where the adaptive cruise would say it was cancelled or other notifications like having my hands on the wheel (which I did have, just not exactly at the locations seen in the hands on steeringwheel image).

I've seen a lot talking about the agressiveness of the BlueCruise and how looking away can trigger the warnings, but just flipping through pages I didn't see much about this sort of behavior. I have very little problem with the BlueCruise notification system, other than the alarm overrides EVERYTHING going on. I was talking to my dad during the drive back from picking up the vehicle, and I did look off to the side for a little bit at one point and the notification chimed in, but it more or less muted my dad as he was talking, and it took several seconds for the notifcation to stop before I could hear him again (different issue, not my focus in this thread).

I was told that the vehicle should have all the software updates and such. But, I struggle to trust the dealership since the vehicle wasn't even cleaned or the wheel caps put on prior to my arrival on Saturday.
 
Jules,
My understanding is that a particular stretch of hiway must be on Lincoln Blue Cruise approved list for it to be available. The camera assembly on top of the column is to monitor the drivers face to determine the driver is paying attention to the road ahead. The ‘hands on steering wheel’ is detected by detecting driver Input to the wheel and/or resistance to automatic steering force (just resting hands on wheel is not detectable).
 
Jules,
My understanding is that a particular stretch of hiway must be on Lincoln Blue Cruise approved list for it to be available. The camera assembly on top of the column is to monitor the drivers face to determine the driver is paying attention to the road ahead. The ‘hands on steering wheel’ is detected by detecting driver Input to the wheel and/or resistance to automatic steering force (just resting hands on wheel is not detectable).

So, I need to cognitively provide micro adjustments myself every so often based on that description from what it sounds. My wife has a Honda Pilot and I think the steering wheel is pressure sensitive. So, this is slightly different than what I've been accustomed to. I think the only way it complains is if you barely have a finger on the steering wheel or if your hands are off completely.

I feel like I provide some of those micro adjustments, but it must not be enough to register.
 
Jules,
My understanding is that a particular stretch of hiway must be on Lincoln Blue Cruise approved list for it to be available. The camera assembly on top of the column is to monitor the drivers face to determine the driver is paying attention to the road ahead. The ‘hands on steering wheel’ is detected by detecting driver Input to the wheel and/or resistance to automatic steering force (just resting hands on wheel is not detectable).
I didn't explain it very well, but this is just regular adaptive cruise. Further information. On my drive home this happened 3-4 times. No warnings or alerts, it must comes up and says cancelled. I think it's just talking about the lane assist, because the cruise itself doesn't turn off. At one point I made sure to keep my hands in what I assumed was the correct position, but even then I had the cancelled notification pop up and the assist lines went away. It makes me think it can't at the lines, but this road has VERY clear lines right now since it was repaved and stripped within the last 2-3 years.
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This morning I paid more attention to it.
Turn adaptive cruise control on. Functioning properly.
2 miles down the road, and it says "cancelled" no other messages, and it seems to disable lane keep assist for about half a mile, then picks back up.
It may do this a second time.
Then afterwards it has a red warning and says something about resume control, similar result, no other warnings, just an alert.

My hands are on the wheel at all times, and the 2 lane road is very clearly marked. But it definitely seems like it's not sensing the road properly. It's the only real stretch of road I've used it on since the longer drive on a highway where bluecruise was enabled. I don't recall seeing this behavior on the highway.
 
I've never had adaptive cruise (not BlueCruise) cancel, but I have had lane keeping cancel A LOT. (And always with a chime :( ). It usually happens at on/off ramps or intersections where the lane doesn't maintain parallel lines. I have had occasions where I was totally baffled at why it cancelled as the lines looked fine to me. Adaptive cruise does require steering wheel input, and occasionally the car thinks I'm not putting in enough. So I do put some very slight inputs in proactively sometimes.
 
I've never had adaptive cruise (not BlueCruise) cancel, but I have had lane keeping cancel A LOT. (And always with a chime :( ). It usually happens at on/off ramps or intersections where the lane doesn't maintain parallel lines. I have had occasions where I was totally baffled at why it cancelled as the lines looked fine to me. Adaptive cruise does require steering wheel input, and occasionally the car thinks I'm not putting in enough. So I do put some very slight inputs in proactively sometimes.
That sounds nearly identical to the behavior I'm seeing. Cancellation for what seems to be apparently no reason. Hands are on the steering wheel, even with minor steering adjustments and the hands in the correct locations. I took my hands off today just to verify that, that was a different alert, and it was. It's just so strange because this isn't an interstate, it's just a standard 2 lane road, and a very well-marked one. And it just randomly turns off with a chime just like you mentioned. My wife's pilot does not seem to behave this way, so I was wondering if there was something wrong with the lane keep assist on my vehicle, or if this was a common bug. It sounds like more like the latter.
 
Hi gang. I believe some of the confusion is occurring due to owners not understanding the differences between various driver assist features, how they operate, how much driver intervention (steering) that they require etc. etc.
And sometimes, it may be a problem that needs service attention.

Here is a very basic explanation of the various features/systems. Beginning with basic, traditional, old fashioned cruise control:

1. Traditional Cruise Control- When activated, it will simply maintain a chosen speed. That’s all. It will not vary speed or slow down for vehicles ahead of us. We turn it off with the Off button or by pressing the brake pedal etc.
The driver must steer the vehicle and visible lane lines are not a prerequisite at all.
When equipped, there are illuminated indicators letting the driver know that Cruise Control is activated and the set speed.

2. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)- A progression of traditional cruise control. When activated, it will maintain the set speed. In addition, it will slow down to match the speed of vehicles ahead in our lane. It can actually slow down to 0 mph, then accelerate when the vehicle ahead of us moves. All the way up to our original set speed. Repeatedly, until it is turned off.
We can also choose the distance gap we wish to keep between our vehicle and the one ahead of us.
Turn it on/off with same procedures as above.
And again, it does not pay attention to lane lines, steer the vehicle etc. So if we fall asleep while driving, it will drive us right off the road at whatever speed we set, until it senses something in front of the vehicle. But by then it may be too late to brake.
When activated, there are illuminated indicators letting the driver know that ACC is activated, the set speed, vehicle gap chosen etc.
In addition, there is a newer version which will use the cameras to read speed limit signs, along with NAV/GPS information, to vary vehicle speed on curves, avoid tickets etc.
I forget the official name of the feature at the moment.


3. Lane Keep Assist (LKA)- Offers limited steering assist. When activated, it will hold our vehicle between clearly visible lane lines. But only between the lines. It does not keep the vehicle centered in the lane. Therefore, it will ping pong between lines without driver steering input.
And the lane lines need to be visible to the camera system. And bright sunlight directly into the camera lens, rain/wet roadways/snow etc. can limit its usage. In other words, while our eyes may be able to see the lines, the cameras may not.
LKA requires hands on the wheel and will give a warning if we remove our hands for too long, and then turn off if the warning is ignored for too long.
When activated, there are illuminated indicators letting the driver know that LKA is enabled, whether the lane lines are visible etc.

4. Lane Centering (I forget the official name at the moment)- A more sophisticated version of LKA. And it still requires hands on the wheel. When activated, it will keep the vehicle centered in the lane. Less ping ponging between lane lines (hopefully far less). And all the same caveats as LKA apply. Clearly visible lane lines, hands on wheel, it will warn and then turn off if we remove our hands for too long etc. etc.
When activated, there are illuminated indicators letting the driver know that Lane Centering is enabled, whether the lane lines are visible etc.

5- Blue Cruise, and its various iterations (1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 etc.).
Blue Cruise is a self-driving feature. On designated limited access roadways, it allows hands-free driving on those designated roadways. However, it is not fully autonomous, and the driver must keep their eyes on the road. If they don’t, a warning will sound, and if ignored long enough, Blue Cruise will turn off.
When equipped, there are illuminated indicators letting the driver know that Blue Cruise is available on the roadway being driven etc.

In many/most case above, a higher numbered feature requires or automatically includes the previous feature.
In other words use of #3 may require use of #2. Use of #4 may require #2 and #3 etc.

Many of these features/settings can be globally enabled/disabled through the Driver Information Center. And then either turned on/off at will on startup, or while driving. Some with the steering wheel buttons, or a button on the end of the turn signal stalk etc. The procedures for each individual vehicle are explained in the Owners Manual for that vehicle.

This is all a basic, time constrained overview. And there are some slight/basic differences as model years have progressed.

Our Owners Manuals do cover all of this in far more detail. Yes, the various features can be confusing in the beginning, but are actually very easy to use once we understand how they operate and their designed-in limitations.

I tried to hit on the high points off the top of my head, and know I missed some important information. Therefore, I’m sure others will jump in to clarify and add more information. Especially concerning slight feature variations in progressing model years etc.

I hope this may help a bit and good luck. 🍻

PS- Now that I wasn’t as rushed, I made some edits for typos and clarity.
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Last edited:
''
Hi gang. Some of the confusion is occurring due to not understanding the differences between various driver assist features, how they operate, how much driver intervention (steering) that they require etc. etc.
And sometimes, it may be a problem that needs service attention.

Here is a very basic explanation of the various features/systems. Beginning with basic, traditional, old fashioned cruise control:

1. Traditional Cruise Control- When activated, it will simply maintain a chosen speed. That’s all. It will not vary speed or slow down for vehicles ahead of us. We turn it off with the Off button or by pressing the brake pedal. Or Resume if we used the brake, etc.
The driver must steer the vehicle.

2. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)- A progression of traditional cruise control. When activated, it will maintain the set speed. In addition, it will slow down to match the speed of vehicles ahead in our lane. It can actually slow down to 0 mph, then accelerate when the vehicle ahead of us moves. All the way up to our original set speed.
We can also choose the distance gap we wish to keep between our vehicle and the one ahead of us.
Turn it on/off with same as above.
And again, it does not pay attention to lane lines, steer the vehicle etc.
If we fall asleep while driving it will drive us right off the road at whatever speed we set, until it senses something in front of the vehicle. But by then it may be too late to brake.
In addition, there is a newer version which will use the cameras to read speed limit signs, along with NAV/GPS information, to vary vehicle speed on curves, avoid tickets etc.
I forget the official name of the feature at the moment.

3. Lane Keep Assist (LKA)- Offers limited steering assist. When activated, it will hold our vehicle between clearly visible lane lines. But only between the lines. It does not keep the vehicle centered in the lane. It will ping pong between lines without driver steering input.
And the lane lines need to be visible to the camera system. Our eyes may see lines which the cameras may not be able to.
LKA requires hands on the wheel and will give a warning if we remove our hands for too long, and then turn off if the warning is ignored for too long.

4. Lane Centering- A more sophisticated version of LKA. And it still requires hands on the wheel. When activated, it will keep the vehicle centered in the lane. Less ping ponging between lane lines (hopefully far less). And all the same caveats as LKA apply. Clearly visible lane lines, hands on wheel, it will warn and then turn off if we remove our hands for too long etc. etc.

5- Blue Cruise, and its various iterations (1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 etc.).
Blue Cruise is a self-driving feature. On designated limited access roadways, it allows hands-free driving on those designated roadways. However, it is not fully autonomous, and the driver must keep their eyes on the road. If they don’t, a warning will sound, and if ignored long enough, Blue Cruise will turn off.
When equipped, there are illuminated indicators letting the driver know that Blue Cruise is available on the roadway being driven etc.

In many/most case above, a higher numbered feature requires or automatically includes the previous feature.
In other words use of #3 may require use of #2. Use of #4 may require #2 and #3 etc.

This is all a basic, time constrained overview. And there are some basic differences as model years have progressed.

Our Owners Manuals do cover all of this in far more detail. Yes, the various features can be confusing in the beginning, but are actually very easy to use once we understand how they operate and their designed-in limitations.

I tried to hit on the high points off the top of my head, and know I missed some important information. Therefore, I’m sure others will jump in to clarify and add more information. Especially concerning slight feature variations in progressing model years etc.

I hope this may help a bit and good luck. 🍻
Bbf2530,
Excellent overview of these features.
I would like to add that I find that when running with all these turned on my Nautilus frequently CANCELs the lane centering with a chime then turns it back on when it can again detect both sides of the lane. This is usually when one side of the lane has no painted line (just a curb or road edge).
 
I'm new here, so I appologize if this has been covered in great detail elswhere as I couldn't find a search option.
This morning was my first drive to the office in the new 25 Nautilus. I drove it roughly 3 hours this weekend and got to try out BlueCruise, which seemed pretty good overall.

My drive to the office is a state road drive, and has been recently repaved and lined within the last year or so, so the lines are very clear.
However, I had a several times where the adaptive cruise would say it was cancelled or other notifications like having my hands on the wheel (which I did have, just not exactly at the locations seen in the hands on steeringwheel image).

I've seen a lot talking about the agressiveness of the BlueCruise and how looking away can trigger the warnings, but just flipping through pages I didn't see much about this sort of behavior. I have very little problem with the BlueCruise notification system, other than the alarm overrides EVERYTHING going on. I was talking to my dad during the drive back from picking up the vehicle, and I did look off to the side for a little bit at one point and the notification chimed in, but it more or less muted my dad as he was talking, and it took several seconds for the notifcation to stop before I could hear him again (different issue, not my focus in this thread).

I was told that the vehicle should have all the software updates and such. But, I struggle to trust the dealership since the vehicle wasn't even cleaned or the wheel caps put on prior to my arrival on Saturday.
I’m still having problems with BlueCruise.
 
''

Bbf2530,
Excellent overview of these features.
I would like to add that I find that when running with all these turned on my Nautilus frequently CANCELs the lane centering with a chime then turns it back on when it can again detect both sides of the lane. This is usually when one side of the lane has no painted line (just a curb or road edge).
I agree with LHB. Nice job on the overview. After 8 months in my car I still found your information helpful.
 
''

Bbf2530,
Excellent overview of these features.
I would like to add that I find that when running with all these turned on my Nautilus frequently CANCELs the lane centering with a chime then turns it back on when it can again detect both sides of the lane. This is usually when one side of the lane has no painted line (just a curb or road edge).
I agree with LHB. Nice job on the overview. After 8 months in my car I still found your information helpful.

Hi! You are very welcome, and I’m very happy to hear that it helped! 🤗

Good luck. 🍻
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