Mercury Monterey Minivan Almost Parks Itself

The new 2004 Mercury Monterey minivan features standard front and rear parking assist.
Ultrasonic sensors are located at the front and rear of the vehicle. As the Monterey
approaches large stationary objects, warning beeps sound. The rate of beeping increases as
the object is approached, until a solid tone is emitted at a distance of about 10 inches.
The system works through the use of high-performance ultrasonic range finders fitted to the
front and rear bumpers. At low speeds, the front sensors are automatically activated. If an
object is detected within the sensing range, an alert tone sounds from the instrument
panel. The rate of beeping increases as the vehicle approaches the object. In reverse gear,
the reverse sensors are automatically activated. To distinguish between front and rear
obstacles, the alert tone for the rear sensors is an octave lower in pitch and comes from
the cargo area.