Lots have enjoyed being 'saved' by these AEBS systems slamming the brakes on for little or no reason in recent years, many of us in HGVs in particular have had to modify our driving to try and minimise such events, typically having to make exaggerated swerves around chicane type obstacles taking a line that is not ideal and would be disconcerting to other road users.

However stopping so rapidly as to trigger the airbags is a new one on me.

As for the dealer not able to investigate promptly, not a problem i wouldn't want to lay eyes on the heap again and not a cat in hells chance i'd be driving it, take as long as you like chaps hopefully you'll shove it in the crusher once you've had time to run diagnostics.

The German sites have a few reports of similar events. In the comments of this article

www.motor-talk.de/forum/starke-bremsung-vollbremsu...l

one person came to the conclusion that the front number plate fitting was the cause.

Anyone that’s driven a car with AEB will have had phantom braking episodes when the car has (over)reacted to something it’s ’seen’ ahead. But the airbag deployment is something different again - AEB is generally a RADAR or LIDAR camera and sensor, but the airbags (to the best of my knowledge) are detonated by physical impact. Two separate issues. If the airbags have deployed without any contact, that’s a big issue.

I agree, struggling to see how emergency braking could trigger the airbags? Whatever the reason not sure I'd trust driving that particular car again.

If the airbags have deployed without any contact, that’s a big issue.

100% agreed. Sensor-triggered emergency braking is one thing but I don't think airbag deployment should happen.

10 years ago my Volvo V60 did an auto emergency brake for no reason, luckily at about 20mph with nothing behind me. Only happened once in 3 years of ownership. Airbags did not deploy.

If I remember Volvo's literature correctly, their auto brake system is only supposed to work at below 25mph anyway, with the aim of avoiding collisions in urban environments, such as pedestrians stepping out unexpectedly, etc.

But the airbag deployment is something different again - AEB is generally a RADAR or LIDAR camera and sensor, but the airbags (to the best of my knowledge) are detonated by physical impact.

Speaking of airbags, can the system be checked regularly (as at an MoT test) without actually hitting an obstacle ? If not, some cars (I suspect quite a few older ones) may be on the road without an effective airbag ?

When my 207 was written off aged 8½ years after a collision which I guess was probably at about 10mph or less, I wondered whether the airbag should have deployed ?

My Fabia is the first car I've had with this type of system. It's only braked twice, both instances at the same location. I was catching up on somebody and about to overtake.

It quite often bleeps at me when joining a roundabout or just doing normal close quarter manoeuvres in heavy urban traffic.

There are some obvious questions about how these emergency braking systems work.

Do they function on the basis of a single sensor, or several. Single sensors can fail. How does it operate if there are multiple sensors with divergent readings.

All IT has occasional glitches - power spikes, poor programming, external interference etc. The usual advice - switch it of and on again - resolves most problems. The systems in cars can suffer precisely the same type of problems.

In a possible system malfunction, is the default to apply the brakes immediately on the basis that the safest option is to avoid the risk of an accident, or validate the data or sensor before acting.

All systems are a compromise - development cost, functionality, reliability. Car manufacturers are no different. That an emergency braking system fails to "safe" (apply the brakes) seems more likely than one which defaults to "ignore".

One where dashcam could be useful. Whilst 55 on the A road may have been within the limit, was it a speed appropriate for the road layout? If not and the vehicle was approaching a tighter bend the vehicle may warn and if brakes aren't applied or speed reduced by lifting off it will hit the brakes.

I've only experienced brakes on once and it stopped me hitting a car in front in a queue, but I do get warnings on occasion. Cars pulling out, a local slip road which is a tight left hand bend, cameras 'see' the traffic lights and fences and if speed is too high the warning sounds,

Most vehicles allow users to change the sensitivity of the system

Modern cars are essentially a computer with wheels. So it's understandable that the Merc threw a wobbly. Turn it off, disconnect the battery leave half an hour and reconnect it. Same as a dodgy PC turn it off, turn it on again.

Then get rid soon as possible, buy a Japanese car.