By Shawn Henry 
What should’ve been a quick and mindless spin through the automated car wash spiraled into a near-disaster for one Ford driver, who panicked and slammed the brakes mid-cycle. The whole chaotic scene, caught on camera and plastered across social media, shows the compact SUV jerking to a halt as rotating brushes swiped its sides—every car wash operator’s nightmare.
Here’s the problem: these automated systems run on a delicate dance of conveyor belts and sensors, requiring drivers to stay hands-off. Neutral gear only, no funny business. One wrong move—braking, shifting, even tapping the gas—can throw the whole operation sideways. This time, the car behind the Puma almost plowed into it, blaring the horn in a desperate wake-up call.
A sharp-eyed attendant didn’t waste a second, smashing the emergency cutoff to freeze the machinery. The video cuts off there, but that split-second call probably saved both rides from a gnarly tangle of dented metal.
[BlackVue DR-970X] Don’t brake on a carwash conveyor
byu/jantograaf_v2 inDashcam
No injuries, sure, but the whole mess drives home a point: even tiny slip-ups in these automated washes can blow up fast. History’s littered with cases of domino-effect collisions and repair bills that’ll make your eyes water, all because some jittery driver forgot to stay neutral.
Car makers aren’t blind to the problem. Ford’s already cooking up a fix—a patented system that preps vehicles for washes automatically. Fold mirrors, kill the wipers, lock it in neutral. Basically, tech stepping in to save us from our own twitchy reflexes.
Until then, the pros’ advice is simple: chill out, read the signs, and let the machine do its thing. That Puma driver got off easy—just a harsh reminder that sometimes, the smartest move is doing absolutely nothing.