18:19 07-12-2025

Genesis G90 recall: how Savile Silver paint triggered phantom braking

Genesis G90 recall ties phantom braking to Savile Silver paint, where aluminum-laden finish interferes with radar. NHTSA notes 11 cases; fix adds sealed beam.

Recalls almost never hinge on paint. Yet that’s exactly what happened to the Genesis G90: the luxury sedan ran into unexpected phantom braking traced to its premium Savile Silver finish. The paint contains an unusually high amount of aluminum, and that metallic load interferes with the car’s corner radar sensors.

According to an NHTSA report, signals reflecting off the metal particles bounce back to the sensor as if a vehicle were appearing alongside. The Highway Driving Assist system then concludes there’s a risky closing maneuver and triggers emergency braking—most often at speeds up to 20 km/h or when Lane Change Assist is active. The issue has been identified only on G90s painted in Savile Silver; other colors didn’t reproduce the effect.

Eleven cases have been recorded so far. There were no crashes, but one owner spent a year pushing for recognition of the defect, saying the car would slow on the highway without cause while the dealer hesitated to acknowledge it. Genesis is asking owners to switch off Highway Driving Assist immediately until the defect is addressed.

The remedy is straightforward: replace the front structural beam with a sealed component that blocks stray radar reflections. Production of Savile Silver has been paused until the fix is integrated.

The episode is unusual but revealing: modern driver-assistance tech can be sensitive even to the subtleties of a car’s finish. It’s a pointed reminder that the road to full autonomy is more intricate than it looks.