I totally agree with David. The GPS on my CX-5 is totally unreliable. Takes me out of the way, doesn’t know where it’s at, or can’t find address, period. Sometimes can’t type in address. Paid for a replacement with the same result.
Carol S. Mesquite, TX
Has it ever been updated! As far as routes, you might be able to vary parameters for the route, ie shortest, quickest, non toll roads etc.
I had a GPS that was set to quickest-took me down a forest service road with crossings through streams. Fortunately I was in my 4X4 truck.
If the above options do not correct it, and by now may be out of warranty, your phone might be a better option.
As I said, I bought a new one with the same result!
Dr. Carol Stephenson
But did you have the new one updated?
Who is David?
Thanks for letting us know. That’s why I stick with my Garmin or Waze. They are much more versatile and less expensive.
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When I first got my smartphone, I decided to use the Google Maps App to guide me to a destination in a nearby town. I was trying to get to a park in one town, and instead Google Maps led me to a cemetery in a different town. I actually drove into the cemetery, thinking that–perhaps–I could cut through it in order to reach the park.
Nope! At the point where the cemetery road ended, Google Maps announced, “You have reached your destination!”. As I was surrounded by tombstones, I had to hope that it wouldn’t be my destination for many more years.
Most of the time, I rely on the factory-installed GPS in my Outback. If it tells me that a certain address doesn’t exist, then I use WAZE on my smartphone. WAZE has never erred–unlike Google Maps. In addition to the cemetery incident, Google Maps once directed me to cross RR tracks at a place where there was no crossing. After that incident, I have refused to use Google Maps again, and instead I rely on the car’s GPS or on WAZE.
I use Google Maps on my phone, never had a problem with it. My father-in-law has a Garmin. Once he updated it for the first time in >10 years it became pretty reliable again. I still prefer the phone, though, since it will route around traffic and accidents.
Interesting to hear, especially as Google owns Waze
The one in my Mustang has taken me to the completely wrong location (off by 10 miles or more) on two occasions. I tend to use Google maps via Android Auto more often these days.
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The difference is that WAZE was developed in Israel, where they seem to be able to master technology better than the folks in most other countries. The developers later sold-out to Google.
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Yes I’m aware of that, but Google has been integrating a lot of features from Waze into Google Maps (like the ability to report an accident or a speed trap). I like both, don’t get me wrong, but I haven’t had Google Maps lead me wrong. Apple Maps from my wife’s iPhone on the other hand…
I wish that I could say that!
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Now if we want to bring up stories of printing out directions from Map Quest before smartphones had integrated GPS options…on more than one occasion my printed directions had me turn onto roads that didn’t exist…well at least they didn’t exist before I would’ve had to drive through a cornfield!
One problem we had with using a Google Maps, but would apply to other phone routing apps, driving in the Appalachian Mountains often could not get a signal. Whereas a satellite based GPS is not restricted to line of sight.
I don’t know about the other map apps, but I know when our route takes us through an area of poor cell signal I’m given the option to download the entire map so I don’t loose my route while I’m driving through those areas. It actually gave me the option earlier this summer when I took the kids up to Knoebels.
Good to know, thank you.
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It’s gotten a lot more rare for Google Maps to lead you wrong. There’s a reason they ask if they got you to your destination OK after you arrive. If it got you lost and you hit the thumbs-down, it alerts them that they need to review that address.
I live on a weird street that’s split between (street name) E and W. It’s weird because it was supposed to be a full loop around a small lake, but when they were building the road, someone sued and so the loop is broken in one area. But they kept the E/W split as though it were a complete loop, which means some of the W addresses are on the south side of the loop and some are on the north. Even better, some of the W addresses on the north side, including mine, are actually all the way on the east side of the loop. To complicate things further, no one told the mapping companies, and so if you look at a map, it tells you there’s a complete loop and shows the E/W split right down the middle where you’d think it should be.
For years, navigation systems would send you to the south side of the loop to get to my house, and then you’d end up lost in a dead-end. When we first moved in it was always a pain to get something delivered because the drivers would inevitably get sent down the wrong street, and if it was coming in on a large truck, now they have to back down a dead-end street for half a mile.
Google Maps was the first one that figured it out and started sending people to the right places. The others took several years to catch up.
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The dealer installed it. They should have known what to do. I certainly didn’t know something else is needed. What should I tell them to do?
They may or may not have updated it. Procedure is in your owners manual. There might be software updates along with updating the maps. No guarantees all glitches will be fixed. Sometimes the address simply is not in the system, in those cases I will enter a nearby address.
I don’t think there is a perfect consumer GPS out there.