# Reverse locks up when I have a bicycle mounted on my bike rack.



## kbmoose1 (May 5, 2020)

With just the bike rack (trailer hitch mounted) on, everything is fine. If I put a bike on the rack, I get a harsh noise when I try to back up, and I don't go more than a few inches. I understand that the intent is to not back into something. Can I turn the feature on and off so that I can use my bike rack?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

If you're referring to the rear sonar feature, then you should be able to disable it through your steering wheel option buttons; read the owner's manual.


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## kbmoose1 (May 5, 2020)

I've done a lot of reading, still haven't found a clear answer. Hoping this forum will result in something specific,


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## grc77 (May 10, 2020)

kbmoose1 said:


> I've done a lot of reading, still haven't found a clear answer. Hoping this forum will result in something specific,


Same issue here KB... I can turn off the rear brake in the settings, but it resets after next startup of the vehicle. Turning it off every time I need to drive the car does not seem like a viable option. Surprised there isn't more on this forum or the web in general. I'll reach out to my dealership, but not feeling optimistic here...


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## kbmoose1 (May 5, 2020)

Are you using the RAB setting to turn it off? My Nissan dealer didn't have any idea how to shut it off, even temporarily. I found that in the owners manual but haven't had a chance to see if it works.


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## grc77 (May 10, 2020)

Yes, shutting the emergency brake off is not difficult, in the console settings its Driver Assistance > Driving Aids > Emergency Brake > Rear Brake in the setup. Has to be done every time the vehicle is started, which is insane.

I found two older fixes on YouTube last night.

I tried taping just a piece of paper over each of the sensors and that worked to stop the sensors which in turn engage the brake. I am not going to ride around like that, so need to find a sleeker way to do it that isn't going to damage the paint. Thinking a foam adhesive that maybe I can paint over w/ matching car color.

The other alternative that I see is getting into the bumper and disconnecting the power source to the sensors. There is a panel under the car that prevents easy access to this, but may not be difficult to take off. This would be a little more ideal than placing something over the sensors.

I am fairly confident covering or disconnecting the sensors is the only fix here. I've driven around without rear sensors for 20+ years and the camera still very much works.

With all of this said, I am going to engage my dealership first to see if they can do the disconnection for me, but somewhat expecting them to say no. 

It's crazy to me that a bike rack on a compact SUV isn't considered in the design. Very poor, but see similar issues with Suburus and Jeeps too.

~grc


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## davidgroves (Oct 16, 2021)

Hi GRC—

Same problem with my leaf. Any luck with a solution aside from covering or disconnecting the sensor? Did you try disconnecting? That seems ok if it works. 

Thanks, Dave 



grc77 said:


> Yes, shutting the emergency brake off is not difficult, in the console settings its Driver Assistance > Driving Aids > Emergency Brake > Rear Brake in the setup. Has to be done every time the vehicle is started, which is insane.
> 
> I found two older fixes on YouTube last night.
> 
> ...


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

Unfortunately, there's no way to set up RAB to be "off" when the vehicle starts, the built-in default is RAB-on. You'll get codes and warnings if you simply disconnect the sensors. The only thing I know of that works is to take both outboard sensors loose from the bumper (only the outboards are used by RAB) and bury them inside the bumper with something in the way, essentially blinding them without the Sonar Controller knowing it. Covering them with foam externally won't work, because the RAB sensors are much more powerful than the center sensors and will ping right through even thick foam. Pointing them at the inner steel bumper causes a massive echo return that's too close to the sensor for the Controller to measure, thus blinding it.


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## Donti (10 mo ago)

Hello, as a new 2022 Leaf owner that has gotten into biking, Nissan has added a new feature that slams on the brakes after it detects my bike rack behind the car.
Any new updates to turning off the Backup Sensors.
Thanks. FYI, I installed a 2” hitch for my ebike carrier to my 2022 Leaf.


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

The Leafs have a bunch of new features and I haven't dealt with RAB on one yet. I've certainly squawked upstairs about the "default on" thing along with many other techs and salespeople, so it's possible someone listened. Use your Setup menu and see if your Leaf "remembers" the setting when you disable RAB. If not, all you can do is pop the sensors loose and bury them as I described above, or get a higher bike hitch that the sensors can't see.


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## freeborn (9 mo ago)

@VStar650CL I can confirm that the '22 Leaf doesn't "remember" the setting the next time you start up. I just installed a hitch-mounted bike rack last night. Backing out of a parking space is challenging to say the least. Disabling the rear emergency braking every time you start the car is a poor user experience at best.


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

Like I said, we techs have all b%#ched upstairs about it. On the gen3 Rogues they at least relocated the sensors so they're less prone to obstruction, but I agree that it's a sad user-control setup and I wish they would listen up. Do some b%#ching of your own to Consumer Affairs, they're generally much more sensitive to poor customer feedback than to what we technicians say. If enough people do enough b%#ching, I guarantee someone upstairs in marketing will eventually pay attention.


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

One thing I haven't seen tried that might work is replacing the outboard sensors with inboard types. The connectors and wiring layout appear to be the same on the Rogues, and that probably also applies to the Leaf. The outboard RAB sensors are hideously expensive (about $1400 list) but the inboards on most models are cheap (usually under $100) and can be blinded with about 1/8" of closed-cell foam. Might be worth a try if the RAB is really, really annoying you.


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## 03irishgal03 (8 mo ago)

Glad to see I am not crazy and this is happening to other folks. I just installed my KAC K2 hitch rack yesterday and when backing out of my parking spot at Target, I suddenly experienced the rear sensor brake grab...so annoying!! I am not car savvy enough to do any of the things with sensors you all talked about. I am trying disabling the RAB and am willing to do it every time if that what it takes. I may also just take the rack off entirely until I absolutely need it and just install on the hitch when I want to travel with my ebike and disable the RAB everytime. In the meantime, I am going to complain to Nissan Consumer Affairs and add my voice to this issue. If anyone finds a real fix, keep us posted!


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## 03irishgal03 (8 mo ago)

03irishgal03 said:


> Glad to see I am not crazy and this is happening to other folks. I just installed my KAC K2 hitch rack yesterday and when backing out of my parking spot at Target, I suddenly experienced the rear sensor brake grab...so annoying!! I am not car savvy enough to do any of the things with sensors you all talked about. I am trying disabling the RAB and am willing to do it every time if that what it takes. I may also just take the rack off entirely until I absolutely need it and just install on the hitch when I want to travel with my ebike and disable the RAB everytime. In the meantime, I am going to complain to Nissan Consumer Affairs and add my voice to this issue. If anyone finds a real fix, keep us posted!


Should have added, this is on my 2021 Rogue.


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

You might be able to mitigate that by trimming the rack. The location of the crossbar (blue arrow) is just about a worst case, the outboard sensors (red arrow) will get a massive echo return from the flat surface of that square bar. Not so much from the rounded bars up above, so I think there's a good chance trimming the unused portions of the square crossbar will reduce the return signal to the point where the RAB won't react.


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## 03irishgal03 (8 mo ago)

VStar650CL said:


> You might be able to mitigate that by trimming the rack. The location of the crossbar (blue arrow) is just about a worst case, the outboard sensors (red arrow) will get a massive echo return from the flat surface of that square bar. Not so much from the rounded bars up above, so I think there's a good chance trimming the unused portions of the square crossbar will reduce the return signal to the point where the RAB won't react.
> View attachment 8804


Interesting, thank you!


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## Thirsted (Apr 12, 2021)

kbmoose1 said:


> With just the bike rack (trailer hitch mounted) on, everything is fine. If I put a bike on the rack, I get a harsh noise when I try to back up, and I don't go more than a few inches. I understand that the intent is to not back into something. Can I turn the feature on and off so that I can use my bike rack?


I totally agree it is so annoying to have to turn it off each time you restart the vehicle. Disconnecting sensors is overkill when you can just turn off the switch. The easiest way is on the left side of the steering wheel with the quick list view button. Nissan has really missed some marks on this vehicle. I had a large box and couldn’t close my rear hatch. The door open alarm was on the entire way home. Also a note I had a sunroof leak which I found only after reading about other complaints. Sure enough my vehicle was leaking water into the headliner. They fixed it but it was really disappointing for a new vehicle. Lastly, my mirrors squeak. I always get the technicians we of could not duplicate.


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