Seeing an error message on the screen of your new vehicle is always disappointing. If your Hyundai says “Parking Sensor Error or Blockage”, you may want to know that this is a pretty common problem for any new Hyundai or Kia vehicle with parking sensors and a collision alert system of the new type.
Dealers don’t pay much attention and usually act carelessly when they see this problem. They start with replacing the affected sensor but this doesn’t help. Then, they keep guessing the problem, replace the clip that holds the sensor, or try to fix the wiring.
The “Parking Sensor Error or Blockage” message in your Hyundai may appear because of a minor change in the sensor’s position. This can be the issue with the part itself, the clip, the bumper, or the minor accident that affected the bumper.
Let’s see why this happens and what you can do.
The reasons for the parking sensor problems
It’s not always the manufacturer’s problem or the quality of the parts. You need to make sure that some natural causes don’t affect the sensors’ work.
Here are the possible reasons:
1) Actually dirty or blocked sensors
Have a look at the bumper. If the system tells you about the rear-end problem, locate the sensors on the rear bumper and make sure they are clean. Wash the bumper carefully and see if the problem disappeared.
Also, some accessories may cause the issue. Each bumper in a modern Hyundai has four parking sensors and if one of them is blocked by some tuning addons or a tow hitch, for example, the system may trigger an error message.
2) One of the sensors changes its position
You may not see this but one of the sensors may have slightly moved. This is the problem with metal clamps or with the sensors themselves. Unfortunately, it’s hard to locate the problem and almost impossible to solve it on your own.
For the system to work properly, every single sensor should be in its initial place without moving even 1 mm.
3) The bumper was hit by something
It’s not necessary that your Hyundai was in a serious accident. This may have been a small hit-and-run accident that you don’t even know about. Or you hit the bumper over a curb when parking.
If this happened, the impact may have affected the bumper position or the position of any sensor. Also, one of the sensors may have been damaged.
Carefully check for any visual signs of damage. Usually, bumpers will have some scratches or dents after such impacts.
4) Wiring problems
Hyundai is known for having pretty poor wiring and connections. This can be the problem with wiring, so it’s worth checking the connections on every parking sensor. Wiggle the connector with your hand – you can actually reach it without lifting the vehicle.
The connection may be lost due to corrosion and wiggling won’t help, in this case. If the connection was in contact with water (which is not an exotic case for these sensors), you may need to clean or even replace the connector.
5) Sensor problems
Finally, there can be a problem with the sensor after water damage, physical impact, or just because it decided to die.
There is nothing you can do but buy another sensor and install it. Unfortunately, waiting time for such parts in Hyundai dealerships will not fill you with optimism.
Ways to solve the problem with minimal costs
Now that you know the most possible reasons for this issue, it’s time to try and solve the problem without paying hundreds of dollars for inspections. I will try to promptly describe what you can do to find and maybe even solve the problem with parking sensors in your Hyundai.
1) Reset the system
First of all, when you see any electrical failure in your Hyundai vehicle, disconnect the battery for some time and let all the control modules reset. After connecting the battery cables, check if the problem disappeared.
The thing is that the control modules in your Hyundai are prone to glitching and they may need just some time to reset. This is free and will take you just 7-10 minutes, so it’s worth trying before you continue.
By the way, this foxy move can solve many problems in Hyundai cars, so remember to use it.
2) Clean the sensors with a soft wet tissue
Even if they seem clean, they may be covered with dust or some other contaminant that blocks the sensors from working. This is a quick and free method to exclude any contamination. Even if the pictogram on your display shows the actual sensor, you may need to wipe them all.
3) Wiggle the sensors with your hand
It’s not hard to reach them if you stick your hand behind the bumper. It’s harder for the front part due to water protection though.
So, if you can reach them with your hand, wiggle the sensors a little and make sure they are positioned firmly. This way, you can also solve the connection problem if it’s minor.
4) Use a good compatible scanner
A cheap scanner will not show any valuable information but if you use a good OBD2 scanner that communicates with all control modules in your car, it can show the exact sensor that is malfunctioning. Based on this information, you may decide to replace the sensor on your own or check if it has problems with the connection.
Weird cases of dealership repairs
I spoke to a Palisade owner who told me that the dealer wanted to replace the entire rear bumper with these parking sensors, clamps, and wiring. Although the parts and labor were covered by warranty, the car had to spend about 2 weeks in the dealership and the owner refused them.
Then he went to another dealership and the mechanic just disconnected the faulty sensor, cleaned the connection, and connected it back to find it perfectly working. It took 5 minutes and cost zero dollars.
So, when the dealer offers you some extremely complicated way to solve the “Parking Sensor Error or Blockage” message in your vehicle, don’t easily agree. Maybe, the problem can be solved in 5-10 minutes with zero investment.
Is it safe to drive with this problem?
Yes, the parking sensors have only one function – they tell you about some obstacles that you can hit when parking your vehicle or maneuvering in tight areas. They aren’t connected with any other safety systems or with the collision warning system.
If you get the parking sensor problem message and also the collision warning system failure, you may be sure that the bumper was hit and now these sensors and radars are all messed up. But it doesn’t mean that replacing a parking sensor will solve all the problems. No, the radar will have to get some attention, too.
Anyway, the only problem with driving is that you will keep getting this message anytime you try parking or just put your vehicle in Reverse. This is pretty distracting, so I don’t recommend you just ignore the problem.
Do you have any experience dealing with this error message? I encourage you to write this in the comment section below to share it with other Hyundai/Kia owners!