Active or Advanced Cruise Control Indicators

Active Cruise Control

These are Active or Advanced or Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) Indicator symbols. The first symbols add a car to the speedometer (the dial) and arrow (pointer) found in another symbol. Again, unfortunately it is not immediately clear to the average driver just what it is trying to say. The car indicates that the system is responding to traffic ahead and the arrow indicates a speed has been set. Note also that some manufacturers may call these systems Smart or Intelligent Cruise Control. The manufacturer using the blue image with the numbers 999 below the speedometer calls the system Drive Control. It is essentially Active Cruise Control.

• Also, are you sure one of these is your symbol?? If yes, then continue on below.
• Otherwise return to our main Picture Symbols page and scan again!

There are lots more related symbols shown below. Over time, these indicators have evolved so that it is nearly impossible to distinguish one from another. Each manufacturer takes liberties with very similar images while using them to mean very different things. Please consult the manual from your manufacturer to know exactly why a particular indicator is being displayed in your vehicle.

Many More Variations

More variations of the symbol shows a car seemingly being followed by a double arrow, the back one of which is open. It may also appear as simply lane lines around broken lines or broken lines alone. It will show in green when the system is turned on and amber when actually adjusting the distance to a vehicle ahead. They will appear as well when a distance is being set in the system by the driver. And depending on the manufacturer, a specific Follow Mode can be turned OFF and the indicator seen in gray. Other symbols may appear in gray scale as well, showing the relative chosen distance between vehicles.

These additional indicators may or may not appear to have lines radiating like heat waves from the roof. They are meant intended to imply a forward looking radar. The system is active if this indicator is shown. The color is up to the manufacturer, so do check your manual. If it is seen in white or gray scale, it generally means that the system is on but a speed has not been chosen.

Another variation has the first image above adding a vehicle in front indicating a vehicle has been detected ahead. The images above may simply go from green and turn to yellow/amber/orange or red when a vehicle detected ahead is too close. An image of a foot on a pedal may also be shown, which is a warning to use the brakes. Again, consult you manual to learn what your manufacturer has chosen for color.

Bucking the trend is this indicator from Maserati and others, which adds an exclamation point, is a fault indicator. The adaptive cruise control system sensors may be blocked, which a car wash may remedy, or the system may require service.

The number of lines between the vehicles represents the following distance that has been set. The more lines, the greater the distance. If the distance is changed, the black and white image may be seen temporarily  noting the new distance.

In the case of these images, also in green, the vehicle is seen “open” in the first image. That is, the color is not filled in, indicating that there is no vehicle ahead. In the second, the vehicle is colored in, indicating a vehicle is in fact ahead. The third image adds a distance control feature. The number of lines indicates the distance that will be maintained. The more lines, the greater the distance. The last one, from Maserati, is simply a speed has been set indicator.

Once again, please consult your vehicle manufacturer’s manual to know exactly why one of this wide array of lights is on.

Opel Semi-adaptive?

We ran into this variation from Opel while updating their symbols page. The main difference that we can find is that it, of course, has a slightly different indicator symbol. We had to dig in to understand why it is semi-adaptive.

We didn’t find a difference. It operates like any adaptive system, and we discuss it more fully here.

Black and White trend

A growing trend is to show the images in black and white when a system, in this case Active Cruise Control, is ready to use. The first one to the left is just that, and Active Cruise Control ready indicator. The second adds a sign to the image and is an Intelligent Active Cruise Control ready indicator. It adds Traffic Sign Recognition to the cruise control system.

Variously called Radar Controlled, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Advanced Smart Cruise Control (ASCC) or even Distance Control Assist (DCA), the systems operate the same way. It is not warning of an imminent collision, but rather showing that the cruise control system will maintain the speed needed to maintain the proper distance between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. The text symbol ACC in yellow/amber indicates a fault in the system.

Advances and Color Confusion

More advanced systems have the added capability of adjusting a vehicle’s speed to account for an approaching curve in the road. The symbols shown are variations that may appear on the instrument panel indicating that the speed is being adjusted automatically, most likely slowing down.

Buick,  Cadillac

This indicator version attempts to show just the top of a speedometer with an arrow indicating where the speed is set. We’ve found it only in limited use in some Buick models and extensively in newer Cadillac models. It is likely be the result of the use of an electronic rather than analog speedometer. The companies use other indicators as well.

The images do not appear to offer any additional information, useful or otherwise. It appears in gray scale in the vehicle’s information display when the system is ready and goes to green when set and active.

Jeep

Jeep uses two styles of indicators to describe the same thing and does so in the same model years! The first set is very similar to some seen above. There is enough variation to warrant adding them here.

The set starts as green , with the first being an on indicator and the second adding the detection of a vehicle in front. It finishes in black and white as a ready indicator.

The company also uses another whole set that simply has an odd look. While the radiating lines emanating forward or up are the same, what’s behind it in no way resembles the front of a vehicle as the others above do. More like a letter M with an empty block in front of the second symbol.

They serve the same purpose as those shown above. The last again is in black and white as a ready indicator.

Skoda

Skoda uses this set of black and white images differently than anyone else. The first simply says the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is on and the second that it is off.  The next images indicate that the ACC is controlling the speed in anticipation of a roundabout (traffic circle), an intersection and a curve ahead.

Land Rover

This pair from Land Rover also shows a curve in what they call Corner Speed Adaptation. The green version will be seen when the vehicle has detected a corner in the road and reduces the vehicle’s speed. The lamp will stay on until the temporary lower speed has been reached. In yellow/amber/orange, the corner speed adaptation has a fault in this part of the adaptive cruise control system. The vehicle can be driven, but with more attention form the driver.

BMW and Mini

Another trend, which is rather annoying, is to use the same symbol in the same car, but in multiple colors meaning multiple things. These are from BMW and Mini, which they label as Distance Control. The function is identical to all Active or Advanced Cruise Control systems. Colors range from red to green and through white and gray.

A red indicator tells the driver that a collision with a vehicle in front is imminent and efforts should be made to avoid it. In green, the system is telling the driver a vehicle is detected ahead, but there is ample space.

In gray, the system is telling the driver that conditions are not adequate for it to work. The system is deactivated and applying the brakes and will do so until the driver takes control until you actively resume control. Essentially, the system is assuming the worst. And finally in white, the system is unavailable because the vehicle is being accelerated.

We are convinced that a yellow/amber/orange version will be added at some point to indicate a fault in the system.

Porsche

This set is from Porsche, and does include a fault indicator. The set works very much like the one above  while skipping the white symbol. In red, the system requires the driver to take control. The yellow/amber/orange version is the fault indicator. In green everything is working as expected, while in gray the system is on standby but active. In each case a vehicle has been detected,

Note that the company features an identical set without a car present. The system, which is part of Porsche’s driver assist system, is operating as cruise control only, which is where we show the symbols. Follow this link to see them.

Smart

The Smart division of Mercedes-Benz has taken a very different road, beginning with the 2024 Smart 5 model. Gone are the speedometer dials and images of cars. Now they are using a semi circle with a number in it and the word MAX below. The circle is meaningless, but the number is the set speed and we can assume that MAX is the maximum speed.

In blue, the system is active. In gray the system is ready and the yellow/amber/orange version that adds an exclamation point is a fault indicator as would be expected.

Note that the company also uses a very different set in a system titled Smart Pilot Assist that includes adaptive cruise control. The symbols use more the more traditional dial and auto images. See the page here.

Fault Indicators

All these symbols indicate a problem with the system. The symbols on the far left add the exclamation point to the car and speedometer inside the image. Your dealer or good service center will be needed to resolve the issue. The same is likely true of the next gray scale images, as they would appear in the message area on the instrument panel. These will be accompanied by text describing the problem, which may be as simple as dirty sensors resolved by a car wash. Your vehicle will otherwise operate normally.

These symbols are meant to indicate that the system’s radar or camera is blocked. To the left is one showing an arrow pointing the front of the vehicle (or a rectangle or box with two lines in it!) and to the right is one with the familiar exclamation point next to a car with lines in front of it (or behind it). The same is true of the gray scale image on the right as it would appear in a message area on the instrument panel.

Cameras or more commonly radar are used to detect another vehicle in front of yours, and so long as they are blocked, the advanced cruise control system cannot function. If cleaning the front of the car does not clear the symbol, there may be a malfunction, which your dealer will need to address. Standard cruise control can continue to operate, if you choose to use it the vehicle itself is fine.

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The information on this website is provided for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

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