"Blind Spot Sensor Blocked" in Range Rover - What's Wrong?

Blind spot sensors are one of the most significant advancements in automotive safety to date, preventing countless accidents and saving the lives of numerous motorists worldwide.

Blind spot sensor blocked message highlights

• Common reasons:blocked rear sensors, software glitch
• How to fix:clean bumper, turn off and on BSM and RTD functions
• Possible consequences:BSM and rear traffic detection won't be working
• Priority level:Low
• Can you drive?Yes
• DIY repair:Possible
• Repair price range:$0

How Does the Blind Spot Monitoring System Work in a Range Rover?

As with many other SUVs in the market, the blind spot monitoring system warns Range Rover drivers by illuminating a yellow sign in the far-left corner (or the far-right corner if we're discussing the right mirror) of your wing mirror. 

The blind spot monitoring system in Range Rover was introduced in the 4th generation Range Rovers (also known as L405, began in 2012) and the second-generation Range Rover Sport (also known as L494, began in 2014) models. After their introduction in these model years, blind spot monitoring became standard in all Range Rover and Land Rover models.

The blind spot monitoring systems have a few special characteristics. The sign for the blind spot monitoring system flashes at the driver if the driver also has his/her turn signals turned on in the same direction. So if a car is overtaking from the left and the Range Rover driver also has his/her left turn signals turned on, the sign on the left mirror will flash to let the driver know. 

If the driver doesn't have their turn signal turned on, the blind spot sign will only illuminate and not flash if there is a vehicle behind either the left or the right side of the vehicle. 

Drivers must also keep in mind that the blind spot monitoring system will not be activated if the vehicle is traveling below 6 miles per hour (10 kilometers per hour). The system will also be disabled if the driver has the car in P (Park) or R (Reverse) gears, the system will only be activated in D (Drive). 

You might be wondering how you can check whether the blind spot monitoring system is functioning as it should be. Obviously, you can verify whether it's working correctly by driving the car in heavy traffic, however, there's also a warning icon in the mirror that you can check to verify. Below the icon of the blind spot monitoring system, there is a circle that will be lit up to indicate to the driver that the blind spot monitoring system is disabled because of an error.

In the next section, we'll take a deep dive into the potential reasons why your Range Rover is giving you the "Blind Spot Sensor Blocked" error message. We'll also take a look at how to potentially fix this annoying issue and use your blind spot monitoring system as intended.

What Causes The "Blind Spot Sensor Blocked" Error Message in a Range Rover?

In most cases, if you are getting the "Blind Spot Sensor Blocked" error message in your Range Rover, the solution might actually be quite easy. In other cases, the error message is caused by some software issue or other mechanical problems. Below we'll walk you through some of the causes in detail.  

1) Blind Spot Monitoring System Sensors Are Actually Blocked In Your Range Rover

If your blind spot sensors are blocked, the solution to fix this problem is very straightforward. The only thing you may need to do is to get rid of the blockage that's blocking the many sensors of the blind spot monitoring system. So, in this case, the error message is correctly warning you that the sensors are blocked and should be cleaned.

Now you might be wondering where the blind spot monitoring system sensors are located in your Range Rover. The sensors are all located in the rear bumper of your vehicle. If you live in a place where winters are harsh, you might get this message frequently because of ice, snow, and mud collecting on your rear bumper.

A common thing that will interfere with your blind spot monitoring system sensors are stickers or other items attached to the rear bumper by the user. Try to keep your rear bumper as clean as possible to avoid this issue. 

Another thing we should mention is that since the blind spot sensors are located in the rear bumper, the blind spot monitoring system will be automatically disabled if you are towing a trailer. 

2) Blind Spot Monitoring System Sensors Affected By Water Leaks

As we've mentioned before, there are some issues caused by the vehicle's build quality itself and Land Rover has been aware of it and released a service bulletin to let people know and to fix it. 

On June 5, 2015, Land Rover released the Service Bulletin with the reference number Q470 to address the issue of faulty blind spot monitoring system sensors after some users experienced water leaks because of rain or other sources.

In this service bulletin, they identified the affected models as:

• Land Rover Discovery (also known as LR4 or L319, model years 2009-2016),
• Range Revor Evoque (L538, First Generation, model years 2012-2018),
• Range Rover Sport (L494, Second Generation, model years 2013-2022),
• Range Rover (L405, Fourth Generation, model years 2012-2021),

If you have a Range Rover or a Land Rover in these model years and have made sure that nothing is obstructing the blind spot sensors in the rear bumper, you might be getting the error message because of this issue.

The process for repairing this problem is very clear in the service bulletin, the faulty sensors need to be replaced completely and the side object detection modules should be reconfigured by the technicians. 

The good news is that Land Rover offered to fix this issue in warranty, free of charge for its customers. The bad news is that the free repairs were only offered until 30 June 2017, so it is well overdue. If you are not sure whether the previous owner had this issue fixed, check the service records of your car or get in touch with the JLR dealer that has primarily taken care of your car in the past. 

If the previous owner did not take advantage of the free repairs covered by the warranty, you can still get the issue fixed, unfortunately, you are going to have to pay for it.

3) "Blind Spot Monitoring System Blocked" Error Caused By An Error In the Software Algorithm

JLR has released a service bulletin prior to the one we've mentioned above, about the incorrect display of the "Blind Spot Monitoring System Blocked" even though the sensors aren't physically blocked.

This technical service bulletin was released on 10 November 2014 with the reference number LTB00708NAS1. In this technical service bulletin, it is stated that the issue is caused by a problem in the software algorithm and affects the following models:

• Range Rover (model years 2013 and beyond),
• Range Rover Sport (model years 2014 and beyond)

The solution for this issue requires the technician in the dealership to reconfigure the existing blindspot monitoring control modules (not replacing them) by using the Symptom Driven Diagnostics tool.

Unfortunately, JLR did not fix this issue through warranty, and all repairs were charged to the customer accordingly.

Final Thoughts And Conclusion

We hope we were able to help you get to the bottom of the annoying "Blind Spot Sensor Blocked" error message displayed in your Range Rover or Land Rover.

If we've managed to help you solve the problem by reading this, make sure to let us know through the comments below.