Automatic braking is designed to stop the vehicle when a threat is detected that you may not be able to see. While it’s a helpful feature, auto braking “damn near gave me whiplash,” a Chevy Equinox EV driver said after trying to back into the garage as usual.

Chevy Equinox EV auto brakes over a shadow

Nearly every vehicle nowadays is equipped with automatic emergency braking. In 2024, the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized a standard that will make automatic emergency braking standard on all passenger cars and trucks by September 2029.

The NHTSA expects the safety tech to save at least 360 lives and prevent at least 24,000 injuries every year. Many even rely on cameras and sensors without even looking behind to see what’s there for themselves.

So, what happens when the system detects something that’s not actually there? One Chevy Equinox EV driver found out on a sunny afternoon, backing into the driveway as usual.

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The vehicle “slammed on the brakes and scared the shit out of me,” the driver said, adding it “damn near gave me whiplash.”

A video of the incident shows the Equinox EV coming to a sudden halt over an apparent shadow in the driveway. No other objects are in the vehicle’s way, as you can see.

Judging by the comments, the driver isn’t the only one who has experienced this. Other GM drivers, including a Cadillac Optiq owner, said the feature is “WAY too twitchy,” and that they “can’t count the number of times it’s gone off backing into a parking spot for no reason.”