Did anyone encounter "incorrect" directions from their GPS?

I was in Olathe, KS, home of Garmin International. Nuvi was taking me to Backyard Burgers, across the street from their International HQ and a favorite hangout of Garmin employees.

I'm looking at the restaurant on the left, but Nuvi's got me turning right. Then when I left, he got hopelessly turned around until I found my own way back on the highway.

It wasn't like I couldn't SEE where I needed to be, but got a great laugh in the glow of the Garmin sign.

I was in Colorado Springs Colorado in June of 2010 and I as looking for KFC and it sent me across and down the street from where I needed to be,and the KFC had been in the same place or address for 16 years.Also this same trip I was looking for a store called Coldwater Creek my gps told me it was 39 miles away,come to find out just riding around we found one it was 3 miles from where we were at the time.My latest misadventure is using my gps to go to the Senior Center it put me across the street from where the center is.My unit is a garmin 1450,next gps purchase I hope is a nulink 1695.

As to the KFC problem, were you using built-in POI or Mahoney's file? I know that sometimes the geocoding on Mahoney's file isn't to the address level, but he is always quick to correct the errors when they are brought to his attention.

As to the Coldwater Creek store chain, I don't think anyone has developed a custom POI for those stores. That leaves you with the built-in POI, and those are notoriously lacking as to locations. There's just so many they include when they limit the total number.

The Senior Center? - There are always those types of problems in dealing with street addresses and our expectations. I feel if my unit got me close enough i can see the destination, I can then maneuver however I need to end up in the right place. I don't expect my unit to put me on the doorstep every time.

My old Nuvi 200 has a number of glitches, but one of my favorites occurs when I stop at a particular gas station. It's a left turn to get to the station, and then a left turn (at a stoplight, with a left turn signal) to get back on the road. The Nuvi always wants me to go straight through the light, make a U-turn, come back to the same light and make a right turn. I can see avoiding left turns when it makes sense, but at an intersection with a light?

my 765t leads me to some strange small roads. I have no avoidances checked. twice it asked me to turn but there was no road to turn on to. I take a map with me when I go somewhere far.

I was using the built in POI,that is before I knew about POI Factory.As far as the Senior Center I know where it is I was just seeing if the GPS would get me there.

I can relate to the issues with the built-in POI. Mapsource shows several businesses located in an apartment complex near where I live. I know there are no businesses there, at least storefronts so they are probably mailing addresses for the business as it would appear on a license.

The question being is if you looked for a business and the built-in POI directed you to the address on the business license even though it was not where goods were sold, would you consider it "incorrect directions"?

nope my 885 is dead on everytime.

I have to say that I haven't had any real problems getting to where I am trying to go with my GPS. Sometimes it will suggest a different way than I would take to get to a known destination. But in that case I just ignore it and let it recalculate.

In areas that I am unfamiliar with it been reliable as well. A few times when visiting Disney World it would take me one way to a park from the hotel and a different way back. But still was about same distance just a few turns different.

I was coming down Pacific Coast Highway from Long Beach, CA and when I suppose to turn left on to a main highway, my Garmin told to turn right and if I did I would have ended up in the Pacific Ocean.

It will route me on surface streets, not taking into account the stoplight factor. I realize that this is probably more a function of the maps than anything else. Classifying roads as having stoplights would be a big plus in terms of truly picking the fastest route

If you include lights, what about stop signs? Totally impractical, and impossible to implement.

My 265WT has always given me very good directions. I have never changed any setting (such as avoidance's) as the default settings are usually the best.
I have found some of the poi's are not where the should be, but that's another story.

I enjoy using my GPSr to take me to places that I would never have had the courage to visit without it. That is, I have enough confidence in it explore new places that I wouldn't do using the mapping apps (Mapquest, Google Maps, etc.), because at the very least, I know it's going to get me home!

It's not impossible to implement nor impractical. Limited access roads already have a specific code. Codes can be assigned to multilane highways (state or county roads), arterials and neighborhood streets.

You know from the type of road, and its classification the possibility of encountering stop lights or signs. You have fewer control devices in multilane highways, more on arterials and still more on local or neighborhood streets. If you assume some weighting value, you can estimate the impact on travel times.

but my map has been incorrect.

The GPS portion simply uses the timing of the signals from the satellites to determine my location within the accuracies of the clocks, the geometry of the satellites, and the environmental conditions that induce signal transmit delays. The map portion takes that determined location and gives me instructions on the route to my destination.

The GPS always performs its job, but that darned map has at times given me an incorrect route.

Two of the biggest problems I have faced are 1) the map is out of date because of recent (within the past decade) road construction; or 2) the accuracy of the GPS location is not fine enough to determine exactly which road of the map that I am located on.

I have only used my gps around town so far. I'm not sure I should totally rely on it in unknown areas because it has said to take a right when it should be left and vice-versa.

Look at the screen, and the routing is correct. On rare occasion, the TTS is not.

I have only been given the wrong directions on a minor scale such as instead of turning right, it told me to turn left then make a U-turn a half mile down the road and go back.

I checked on this board and found that there is some routing issues if you set your destination before the GPS gets its current location fix. Since then, no issues.[/quote]

I will try this
Thank You

My GPS always wanted me to make a left-hand turn on the Garden State Parkway in NJ in an area where the only thing to the left is the median! I overruled this instruction and kept going straight.

I bought a 750 from costco and the unit was giving me wrong directions so i called garmin and they told me the hard drive was bad

Did they replace it?

I was in FL over Xmas and brought my 265WT along. Up to this point in time, I had been a huge advocate of this unit given its features + great display vs. price point. The 10 days in FL changed my opinion of this unit. The 265WT provided some very strange guidance in the area where we were staying, an area that I am mostly familiar with. On more than one occasion it tried to send us in the completely wrong direction. It did this more than once I still can't understand why but traffic moves too fast and is too dense for me to try to analyze the route without stopping the car. I don't believe I've ever experienced bad directions with my 760.

Took a trip north towards Sacramento today and my darling GPS has something against driving on State Highway 99. She did all but scream at me to use Interstate 5. Both roads are pretty much parallel to each other. On the way back south I did not argue and went along with her suggestions. She had me driving surface streets parallel to 99 and 5 for about 15 miles to bet me back over to I-5 even though I had to cross over 99. My destination was midway between 99 and 5 so that should not have mattered. Maybe my darling GPS realizes that our state highway system is going to hell and I stood a little bit better of a chance on the Interstate.

Or maybe it is just telling me not to waste the bloody gas.

My Nuvi 750, when told to take me from Pittsburg, CA to Carson City, NV insisted that the fastest way was to take Highway 12 to Lodi (crossing over I-5), then take a short jaunt up 99 to go on hwy 88 w/ stop signs, stop lights and 35 to 55mph speed limits rather than take I-5 (a longer route) w/ 70 mph limits and hwy 50 (65mph limits) to South Shore. It might not have been quite as bad, if there hadn't been snow (on April 8th no less) and CalTrans was calling for chains over the summit on 88, but not on 50. My 4 hr trip to Carson City took about 6.5 hrs w/ the detours and turn-arounds. It was no better on the way home after satellites had been acquired.

It is rare or never that I get an incorrect direction, however, it sometimes tells me my destination is on the "right" when it is actually on the "left".

I was in Maine heading up to Canada on I95, and when I left the gas station, it told me to take I95 South to get there. The mapping was correct, however the voice was inverted. Kind of funny, but needed to stop the route, power down, power back on and it was good to go.

A bit of a common sense check needs to be done when using GPS to ensure you aren't getting bad information.

In almost every case my Garmin has been spot on. It does have some issues around the Austin airport due I believe to all the construction that was recently completed. On routes that I know I do not think it always chooses the best route but that is in the programming and it does get me there. I have found a couple addresses where it says to turn right when the address is on my left.

Our address here used to be an odd number, then switched to an even number a few years ago. Since odds are on one side and evens are on the other it makes sense that the GPS is incorrect.

Mine tells me to "turn right on Somerdale Rd to 5 mile line Rd". Unfortunately I must turn left to do that. It must be that I always back the car in to the garage.

Mahoney's file tells me to turn left at the bottom of the exit ramp. At the last minute I notice Mcdonalds is on the right. I just let that go, and only notify him if the Mcdonalds has disappeared...
..My sis borrowed a 255 for her Florida vacation in a rental car. WIth no custom POIs, she had to type in the addresses of the various attractions. Even then the Nuvi gave frequent confusing directions. She had always used Mapquest before and always had good results.

I have noticed with the latest map update that whenever I pull off my calculated route for any reason, when I return to my route, my zumo 660, after recalculating now wants to send me the wrong way, just for a little ways.

Example, today I pulled off the interstate into a rest area. Naturatally, "Recalculating" started. When I started traveling again the GPS had me getting off at the next exit to get the interstate in the opposite direction. It was then sending me back to the previous exit to get back on the interstate, and my route, at a point prior to when I left the route for the rest area.

I have seen this multiple times even on side roads when navigating a route. I pull off the route for a drink, it starts recalculating and when I head back to continue on my route it is sending me in the opposite direction to a point prior to leaving my route, then it sends me around blocks in neighborhoods to get me turned around and back on the route again, at a point before where I left the route for a drink.

It did not do this before 2011.40 maps.

If I ignore it and just continue the way I know I should be going, it finally, very quietly and with out a word, switches it distance to the actual next turn distance ahead and continues navigating.

Not good for anyone that really doesn't know which way they should be going when they return to their route.

This isn't a common problem others are having with the latest map update & if I were you I would do a hard reset and see if that helps any. Hard resets have done wonders to many in the past, it's worth trying.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/26136

As long as I know its doing this I don't really have a problem since I have a pretty good sense of direction. I do remember reading/posting in a thread a while back discussing this same problem shortly after it started doiing this on my zumo. I have to go back and try and find it again to make sure it was after the map update. Maybe later this evening I'll look for it.

I know I can do the hard reset anytime (after a backup) but it hasn't got me too frazzled. I wonder if its the fact that I have it connected to my computer every other night since joining this site 4 months ago, learning and having fun.

Here is the old post with the problem. Apparently its just me and John.jcb sharing this problem. If you read his account you can guess that the road construction had the GPS recaculating and was trying to send him back to the airport to pick up the route again.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/32590

It did start after the map update.

I have never encountered an incorrect direction provided by my Nuvi 660. I guess I'm just lucky I read a string warning me against using the avoid tolls settings when I first bought and started using my GPSr.

You should be fine, now. Good Luck!!

I rarely update my firmware but still do a hard reset after updating my maps. Many recommend doing this after either or both of these specific updates.

That is bizarre, it almost sounds as if it is trying to get you to take the ENTIRE ORIGINAL route, instead of truly recalculating and proceeding from where you are now. I only pulled into one rest stop this year when using 2011.40 maps, but for me it was smart enough to continue on the route from there instead of backtracking. Have you tried reseting the 660?

No sense in talking about it anymore unless I do the reset and check it out ... so ... did the reset, reloaded everything and reset all my modes. Will try to get a chance to pull off at a rest area tomorrow or test some other route. I'll report fixed or still goofy!

I take the New Jersey Turnpike to go to Washington, DC and around a certain area, I think Exit 9, the GPS directs me to get off, go around some loopy roads, and then get back on the NJT. Really weird.

I disagree with the last comment if it has been a few years since the address change Garmin should have picked it up by now.

About 25 years ago they replaced a bridge with a different routing. 2011.30 maps finally had this corrected! I reported it around 2008. I would not be suprised with the address.

Sorry to say, you should always keep the avoid toll rolls unchecked unless you purposely want to do that. Your GPSr was doing exactly what you asked. My suggestion would be to view your trip on the GPSr mapview zoomed out to see the entire trip prior to starting out. [/quote]

I will uncheck my "Toll Roads" ASAP!

I always write in my articles on the Garmin Tricks website to be wary of the first two instructions that you nuvi gives you -- especially if you are parked in an off-road location such as a shopping center or stadium -- or have performed any reverse direction movement.

Your instrument may not know in which direction you are pointed or traveling.

Things are getting better with the newer models since the 600 series with the -- "find the magenta route" -- but don't be led astray until your unit settles down and decides to give you more correct information. [Usually about two announcements -- but it can be more.]

Again, as many others have said way before me, your GPSr is a guide. You are the driver who makes the decisions. Stay off the train tracks -- the train is coming.

Gary Hayman
Garmin Tricks
http://bit.ly/garmin_gps_tricks

Route optimization on a map, ie. finding shortest time, distance, etc, between two points, is an NP-incomplete problem in computer science. That means if you try to do it perfectly, some routes will take an exponentially long time to calculate.

In practice, that means the machine will take shortcuts. It can get better, and it does if you can update maps and software. (Which is why lifetime map updates is not a luxury, in my opinion.) But it will never be perfect.

I always check over the results to make sure it isn't doing anything whacky. Sort of a reasonableness check. The only time I have had problems is when I had settings wrong. For example, I use my GPS for hiking, biking and driving. Well, if I have the TOPO maps selected, it won't navigate, or if I have Bicycling selected, the navigation route is very different than if I had Car selected. So any navigation "errors" I have seen are usually due to how I set the preferences, map updates and lack thereof, and how the unit weights routing, such as shortest, fastest, scenic, etc.

You really have to learn what the preferences do and don't do, for that matter, you really have to learn what all the features of your GPS are and what they can do for you.

I took long trips from the east coast to Yellowstone and toured that region, and on another tour then went all the way up to Chisasibi, QC (look that up) over to the far eastern reaches of the northern Canadian Maritimes, and then another exploration of the Appalachians around the Great Smoky Mountains, all exclusively with the GPSMAP60CSx.

Never any problems with anomalous directions. On my trip to Chisasibi, I was thinking that that trip would have been very different without the GPS. The GPS added information that was always available that is not possible with paper maps.

The trip to Chisasibi was interesting. I made a turn at a traffic light or stop sign, and it was interesting to see the GPS indicate that the next instruction wasn't for another 482 miles.

Incorrect directions to desination... Yeah like 20% of the time. For that 20% its off about 100 feet to up to 2 blocks on certain locations I've entered in. I don't know if its due to the maps or the gps signal, but my nuvi is getting a strong signal.

My Garmin 350 has been solid for years. just an occasional can't find satellite issue.

My Garmin kept insisting that I go the wrong way down a one way street.

Maps, and streets are what they are because of the municipalities, and the way they report streets. We have an intersection that is no left turn, but the nuvi wants me to turn there.

Good thing I can read signs...