Lane Keeping Assist System Unavailable On Cadillac (Explained)

From monitoring your vehicle’s components to monitoring the vehicle’s surroundings, every driver is truly a multitasking machine.

And with safety features like the lane keep assist system, this is now relatively easier. But what happens when this system suddenly becomes unavailable on your vehicle

The lane keeps assist system can become unavailable for several reasons. It could be unavailable if the visibility of the system’s cameras is obscured by weather and poor road conditions. However, there are many more possible factors involved. Read further to understand them in detail to know what to do in these situations.

Why Is My Lane Keeping Assist Unavailable?       

The Lane-keeping assist system becomes unavailable when there are circumstances that reduce visibility. The system relies on cameras located behind the windshield.

To better understand, let’s look at how it works and its relationship with another system, lane departure warning.

Then we would take a detailed look at the various reasons these systems can become unavailable.

As the name implies, Lane-keeping assist is a system that works to keep you in your lane. It does this by controlling the car to keep driving in the right direction.

Some systems use brakes that work on just one side of the vehicle. 

However, the latest systems make use of inputs from the steering wheels. These inputs could vary from gentle nudges to total intervention in overwhelming scenarios. 

In addition, the lane-keeping assist works for a hand with the lane departure warning and is often wrongly interchanged.

Please note that they are related but not the same thing entirely. A Lane departure warning alerts the driver that they are drifting out of the lane.

On the other hand, the lane keeps assist system works to keep the vehicle within the lane. 

Also, the lane departure warning works by scanning the white demarcation lines on the road or its edges.

Once the vehicle moves close to or beyond these lane lines, the system alerts you by either beeping, vibrating, or displaying a warning on the dashboard. 

The lane-keeping assist then steers you back into the lane if it perceives that you are drifting out of it. Ultimately, both systems help to keep you in line and prevent accidents.

Now, it is not uncommon for this system to sometimes be unavailable.

Usually, this message appears on the driver information center (DIC), but it poses a bit of confusion for new drivers who may not understand what might be causing this.

Below is a list of reasons why this system can become unavailable in your vehicle. 

1. The system becomes unavailable when it detects that you are leaving the lane on purpose. It can tell this when it detects that you are actively steering the wheels, braking, or accelerating. It can also tell when you are using the turn sign.
2. Snow, rain, and other cloudy weather conditions may get the cameras and sensors dirty, thus preventing them from detecting the lane markers. 
3. They will also not work when the lane lines are faint, unavailable, or over complicated.
4. Furthermore, they don’t work at low speeds, so it is only available at 35 mph or higher speeds. 
5. Also, lane keeps assisting and other driver assistance features may be disabled if a tire is replaced with the wrong tire size. This action can cause a wheel speed inconsistency that will disable all driver assistance systems relying on input from wheel speed sensors. Usually, not just the lane keeps assistance unavailable in such situations.
6.  All other advanced safety features may be affected. E.g., adaptive cruise control.
7. Other technical issues like faulty cameras or outdated systems might be responsible.

Lane keeps assist and lane departure warnings also work alongside other advanced safety features.

For instance, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking, forward collision alerts, etc. 

How Do You Activate Lane Keeping Assist?        

Firstly, the Lane-keeping assist is always on by default whenever you start your car.

It then takes roughly two minutes to be activated but is only fully accessible when the car is at speeds greater than 35-37 mph.

You can confirm the exact operating speed from your vehicle’s owner’s manual. Below is an outline of how this system works: 

• A green lane-keeping assist icon is flashed on the dashboard when moving above the system’s operating speed. This icon is depicted as a car between two dotted lane lines and shows that the system can recognize the natural lane lines on the road. 
• The green icon turns yellow when the system detects that you unintentionally leave your lane. A suggestive nudge follows this action by the steering to help keep the vehicle in its lane.
• However, the lane departure warning is activated if your car still departs from the lane after that nudge. Typically, you would experience one or more of the following:
• The amber Lane keep assist light would keep flashing 
• You may hear a sound, typically three beeps
• In some systems, you may feel your seats vibrate thrice and,
• Last but not least, your steering wheel usually should vibrate too.
• Sometimes, the lane-keep assist icon may also turn white. This sign shows that the system cannot detect the lane lines and is temporarily unavailable.
• Lastly, if the system perceives that you are about to make an intentional lane change, it would assist without issuing the lane departure warning. The hallmark of an intentional lane change is active control of the steering. Once you’re steering or making use of the turn signal, steering nudges from the system are temporarily disabled.

Other things to take note of while using this system:

1. Always make use of the turn signal when deliberately switching lanes
2. Even when already activated, you can overrule the lane-keeping assist system by taking hold of the steering.
3. Also, this system relies on painted lane markings in the middle and at the edge of the road. Hence, it may not work when the lane lines are faded, over-complicated, or covered with snow or dirt.
4. It’s essential to have in mind that even though this system provides short steering nudges, it doesn’t automatically drive the car. 
5. Ultimately, the lane keeps assist system is no substitute for a driver’s responsibility to ensure safe driving. 

For more significant limitations of these features, read the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual.

How Do You Turn the Lane Assist Off on a Cadillac?

The lane keeps assist button can be disabled. But on some systems, this can only be done when the car is not in motion. To turn it off, push the lane-keep assist button.

Like the lights described above, this button also has an icon of a vehicle between two lanes. 

In addition, what can be done if the system is unavailable? Especially if you’ve already ticked off every explainable reason, like the weather condition or faint lane lines?

Visit the nearest dealership to make your complaint and have an expert examine your vehicle. 

If it is an issue with the system camera or software, they would be able to rectify the issue. There might either update the software or change the cameras if faulty.

For instance, an incorrect tire size leads to disabling all or most driver assistance features.

You can also inspect the car yourself to make sure that the tires fit rightly. Or ensure that the new tire you are installing is the exact size as the final factory-fitted tires. 

Cadillac Lane Keep Assist (Lane Departure Warning)

Final Thoughts

You no longer need a six-figure budget to get a fitted car with reliable safety features. The Cadillac is one vehicle that offers all these and much more.

This body-style sedan has made highway driving more convenient and accessible than ever.

And in a long drive, the lane-keep assist could prove valuable by saving you from accidents and damage.