Gone are the days when you sweat profusely while trying to parallel park or back up your vehicle. If your vehicle has parking assist, it can now take over the chore of maneuvering your car into tight spaces. Like many automated automotive systems, this might seem arcane at first glance. However, once you get the hang of parking assist, you’ll never look back–in some cases, literally.
Read on to learn more about parking assist, such as what the P light on the dashboard indicates.
What Does Park Assist Mean?
Park assist is an automatic parking aid found in many recent vehicle models. It is a step above earlier parking sensors that merely warn you about potential collisions while leaving the driving to you.
Compared to those sensors, park assist can help you park your vehicle. Some parking assist systems can even take over the job of moving your car into the parking space.
Manufacturers might use different names for their version of the park assist system. To name a few examples, Ford offers Active Park Assist and Enhanced Active Park Assist, Tesla cars come with the AutoPark system, and Toyota has the Intelligent Parking Assistant.
People might also refer to park assist as intuitive parking assistance or park distance control.
What Are the Types of Park Assist?
Park assist systems are classified according to their level of automation. These types are as follows:
Steering Assisted Parking
A steering assisted parking system displays helpful driving instructions on the dashboard as you park. It will give you cues about the best time to speed up, slow down, and shift gears. The car will steer itself and maneuver into the parking space.
Its main drawback is that it only helps you get inside a parking space. Steering assisted parking systems don’t help you maneuver out of the space if other drivers boxed your vehicle in.
The majority of park assist systems provide steering assisted parking services. They make parking easier, but they don’t take over the task.
Park-and-Exit Assistance
A park-and-exit assistance system adds the capability to guide you out of the parking space, making it easier to leave the slot if your vehicle got boxed in while you were away. Otherwise, it works the same as steering assisted parking.
Fully Automated Parking
This type of park assist can park your car for you. It can even control the accelerator and brake pedals. While fully automated park assist comes with many safety features, you might prefer to stay in control of your vehicle.
How Does Park Assist Work?
The typical park assist system has a control module and several sensors that scan around the vehicle. Depending on the manufacturer, the system might use cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, or a combination of the three. These sensors are usually on the vehicle’s front and rear ends, often on the bumpers for good coverage.
When you engage park assist, the sensors scan your vehicle’s surroundings. They send their readings to the park assist control module, which searches for an open space that fits your car with enough room to exit or enter.
If you approach or pass by a space that the park assist control module considers suitable for parking, the system will make a sound to get your attention.
Depending on its automation level, park assist will provide further help when parking your vehicle. Almost all systems will display instructions on the dashboard. More advanced parking assist systems can operate the gas and brakes.
How Do You Use Parking Assist?
Operating the parking assist system might differ slightly between vehicle models and park assist systems. Consult your owner’s manual for the details.
Most vehicles with this feature require that you press the P button in your car continuously until the car finishes maneuvering into the parking space. Releasing the button will bring your vehicle to a halt.
Some P buttons have small lights that switch on when you push them, showing that the parking assist system is operational. Others turn on the parking assist light on the dash.
What Does the Park Assist Indicator Symbol Mean?
The parking assist system indicator symbol can tell you about the park assist’s status. Usually, the indicator symbol shows the capital letter P. It also shows a wireless signal and a traffic cone.
P stands for parking. The wireless signal indicates that the parking assist sensors are scanning around your vehicle. Finally, the traffic cone is a generic representation for any object within the sensors’ detection range.
Park Assist Indicator Symbol Color
Most park assist system indicator symbols also change color according to the system’s status. If the symbol emits green light, it usually means the park assist works as intended.
However, if the light emitted by the park assist system indicator symbol turns amber or yellow, something has likely gone wrong. The indicator symbol might add an exclamation mark to the end.
Can You Safely Drive With the Parking Assist Light On?
Park assist is a nonessential automotive system. Even if it acts up, you can usually keep operating your vehicle. Furthermore, most park assist systems require you to activate them by pressing and holding down the P button in your car. They shouldn’t turn on while you drive.
However, if the parking assist light glows orange or yellow, it indicates a problem with the system. While the malfunctioning park assist won’t affect most driving routines, it might interfere with attempts to park your vehicle.
Dirty parking assist sensors are one of the most common reasons that trigger the park assist system indicator symbol to flash yellow. In many cases, you can resolve the issue with a thorough car wash. Once the sensors are squeaky clean and no longer covered by dirt, the park assist symbol should go back to green.
How Much Does a Replacement Parking Assist Sensor Cost?
The parking assist system can stop working for various reasons, such as a bad brake light switch or an issue with the throttle system or engine that triggers a diagnostic trouble code. However, one of the most common reasons is a faulty parking assist sensor, which usually requires replacement.
A new parking assist sensor can cost anywhere between $10 and $520. Some products bundle the replacement sensors with other parts, such as face bars and step bumpers.
Where to Get Park Assist Cameras and Modules for Your Vehicle
A failed park assist sensor or park assist control module may cause your Park Assist System to malfunction. While it’s possible to drive your vehicle without this feature, it’s a good idea to get it repaired as soon as you can to make backing up easier. Luckily, CarParts.com makes it convenient to shop for products that fit your budget.
We do our best to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience. Customers can use our vehicle selector to check for fitment and toggle our search filters to shop according to their preferred brand or price range.
All sensors in our catalog are sourced from some of the top manufacturers in the industry. This means you can expect your order to last as long as your vehicle’s lifespan. And while we’re confident about the quality of our products, we accept 60-day returns and offer a lifetime replacement guarantee to give our customers added peace of mind while shopping online.
Shop the best deals on park assist sensors at CarParts.com today!
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