Distance / Following-Distance Alert
You're following the vehicle ahead too closely for your speed — increase the gap.
What it means
Radar measures the time gap to the vehicle ahead and warns when it drops below a safe threshold (typically under ~1–1.5 seconds). It's often part of the forward-collision system: a pre-warning before the full red collision alert.
Can you keep driving?
Yes — ease off and rebuild a gap of at least 2–3 seconds (4+ in rain, 10 on ice). Frequent alerts are the car telling you your following distances are habitually short.
What to do now
- 1
Back off until the alert stops; use the 3-second rule as your baseline.
- 2
Adjust the warning sensitivity in the vehicle settings if it's intrusive.
- 3
If the icon shows the system unavailable, clean the front radar area.
Likely causes
- • Following too closely (real alert)
- • Sensitivity set too high for your taste
- • Radar blocked (system unavailable variant)
Typical fix cost
$0
Ranges reflect mainstream US parts-and-labor pricing; your vehicle and region will vary.