Woman’s Volkswagen Repeatedly Brake-Checks Her. Then She Realizes The Strange Reason Why: ‘Worst Feature Ever’

A woman’s Volkswagen repeatedly brake-checks her while driving on the highway. Now, "brake check" and "highway" in the same sentence is a combination you don’t want.

Well, this Volkswagen driver has been dealing with this issue, but viewers notice an aftermarket part that could be engaging a standard safety feature. One VW service technician wrote, “It is a very important safety feature.”

Kristi (@femme_queen89) documents herself driving on the highway and showcases the brake check in real-time in a TikTok with over 3 million views as of this writing. 

“Watch my car brake check me because I am steering so straight it doesn’t recognize it. Worst feature ever,” the onscreen text reads.  

Kristi films herself driving at 70 MPH down a major highway. With her phone in her left hand, her right hand is not on the steering wheel. Her hand is placed on a steering knob attached to the steering wheel. Her right hand guides the Volkswagen straight with a few fingers contacting the actual steering wheel.

During her highway drive with minimal contact on the steering wheel, the Volkswagen triggers a “take over steering” message on the dashboard. After a few seconds, the Volkswagen does the brake check and jolts the car back and forth. The jolt is abrupt and bothers Kristi every time it happens, which apparently is often.

“The only thing I don’t love about my car, happens every single time I drive, multiple times a trip,” she captions the post. 

‘It Literally Does Not Detect Hands On The Wheel’

Many viewers couldn’t resist the urge to notice and highlight the steering knob that was installed on the Volkswagen. 

“Why do you have a steering knob? It's not a [expletive] tractor,” one TikTok commenter wrote.

“It’s not because you’re driving straight, it doesn’t sense your hand on the wheel because of your spinner knob,” another added. 

“The spinner knob is necessary, and it does it regardless if it’s on the knob or the wheel,” Kristi replied. 

More viewers noticed how the vehicle went into “take over steering” and believe it’s caused by not having hands on the wheel. 

“‘Take over steering’ it's probably because you have one actual finger on the wheel,” one commented. 

“It says ‘take over steering’ it literally does not detect hands on the wheel. It's trying to prevent a collision, it's jolting the car to wake you up…” another shared. 

While other viewers were worried and concerned about filming and driving at the same time.

“Plz get off your phone when driving ON THE FREEWAY,” one called out. 

“I wasn’t looking at my phone at all, it was literally just being held,” Kristi defended herself. 

While several Volkswagen mechanics chimed in with their insight and expertise. 

“VW mechanic here, it senses if your hand are on the wheel, its a feature that's there for when people fall asleep or go unconscious to wake them up or park the car to the side of the road for your safety, your knob might be a necessity but but its definitely not cuz your driving straight and its definitely not a stupid feature since its there to save lifes, if it doesn't see your hand even when your own hands are on it then it might be broken which is due to a problem that a VW dealer or specialist will probably know about,” one commented.

“Someone who works in VWG technical here. This guy is right,” one mechanic replied. 

“I’m also a VW tech and I also second this guy, it is a very important safety feature,” another confirmed. 

What Ended Up Being The Issue?

Having a steering knob installed typically means the driver needs extra support. Steering wheel knobs typically assist and support drivers with disabilities. In this case, Kristi shared with us that she has one to make driving easier with her disability. 

Motor1 spoke directly with Kristi, who informed us what the issue actually was.

"It's not still doing it,” she said. “It was a software malfunction that has been corrected. The feature was over engaging in the video. It is now only engaging if the car is steering itself for an extended amount of time.”

When asked whether the knob may have been causing the issue, she said that commenters blaming the knob for the glitch were incorrect.

“The knob is an adaptive assistive device and is used for a disability to make driving easier, it does not impact the system, despite commenters blaming the knob, it has no effect on the feature engaging or not,” she said.

What’s A Spinner Knob? Are They Legal?

As many viewers noticed, Krisit was using a spinner knob to steer her Volkswagen. This device attaches to the steering wheel and can also be called a steering knob or steering wheel spinner knob, Mobility Engineering shares. Spinner knobs assist drivers with disabilities or mobility and strength limitations to steer the car wheel more efficiently and effectively with one hand. 

This spinner knob can increase comfort and offer enhanced control when turning. This steering knob makes vehicles accessible for those who may struggle to turn the steering wheel fully on their own. Mobility Works reports that anyone who experiences arthritis, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, and more can find driving to be easier with a spinner knob.

While these spinner knobs are intended to help drivers with disabilities operate vehicles with more ease, many car enthusiasts believe these devices are dangerous. They even refer to the device as “suicide knobs.” The potential risks involved when using a spinner wheel are reduced reaction timing and distracted driving. With only one hand on the wheel, it can be more challenging to respond quickly if an emergency pops up. 

Currently, spinner knobs attached to the steering wheel are not illegal in the U.S. Each state will have its own restrictions on usage, and they will vary across different regions. 

What Is Volkswagen Emergency Assist?

Car manufacturers have been heavily focusing on improving driver assistance systems every year. While having these safety features can save lives, it has certainly increased the repair costs after an accident. While every car manufacturer is trying to separate itself from competitors with enhanced safety features, Volkswagen introduced Emergency Assist.

“The Emergency Assist system monitors steering wheel activity and delivers alerts if the driver is not actively operating the vehicle. This feature ensures that the driver is paying attention and can prevent accidents caused by distraction or drowsiness,” per Volkswagen.

With this system, any signs of fatigue, passing out, drowsiness, or tiredness will trigger a response to try to alert and wake up the driver. The system will trigger a jolt or brake check to notify the driver of the lack of activity. 

Now, if the driver is unresponsive, the Volkswagen will be able to safely pull over to the side of the road. This controlled stop will activate the hazard emergency flashers and get the driver off the road. 

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By having monitoring wheel activity, the Emergency Assist system can step up if the driver is not responding and increase their safety. This system is part of the IQ.DRIVE safety suite, so Volkswagen's with this IQ.DRIVE will have this feature.

Motor1 has contacted Volkswagen via email. This post will be updated if they reply.

 

 

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