I think your ok here. Mine does that every now and then during game play and places a perfect shot up the left barn ramp and around on its own. I posted on it but no one had an answer. I long ago decided it must get triggered and have something to do with what happens during play and the rules that we don't yet understand. Think about it - if it does that and the music doesn't change to the slow crossbow music then it's not giving you control of the crossbow so hitting the fire button isn't going to do anything here.

Interestingly, this happened to me once where it loaded the crossbow on its own, music didn't change to the slow crossbow music so I wasn't in control, and it fired a perfect shot right up the bicycle girl ramp. I freaked out. It was the first time a bicycle girl ramp shot was achieved on my machine via the crossbow.
(Since then that's the only shot I like taking when I'm given control in the crossbow mode because it is so satisfying to make)

Since it is not going into ball search mode and it is hitting targets perfectly and not actually going into crossbow mode where it gives you the control, I still say it is something in the code we haven't figured out yet.

When it happens to me there is just too much going on so I have never been able to figure out what occurred during play to trigger this. But I like it. Shows you how deep our Rules are really going to be when the code is finished someday.

Also I will say this if it helps people. I changed my outlane posts and moved them down a notch awhile back (because I'm new and I suck). I unscrewed the ball return troughs on both sides to get to the posts. After I put it all back together I kept getting the ball returned on the left trough going to the crossbow but the game did not recognize this and was causing it to go into ball search mode (where the crossbow activates and shoots).

It was an easy fix. Loosen the screws that hold the left ball return trough. There are 4 of them to the lower part of this trough that I had to deal with. Pull the return trough all the way to the closest side (so standing in the players position - to the left) and then tighten the top 2 screws while your holding it this way. It took some trial and error for me to dial it in as I was figuring this out on my own, I have no prior pinball experience. Now move the ramp slightly to the right at the bottom and tighten your bottom 2 screws.

Problem solved... for me anyway. Remember, all that trough adjusting is for when the game isn't directing the ball to the crossbow intentionally which causes it to go into ball search mode to find the ball when it ends up at the crossbow.

Otherwise when the ball goes to the crossbow and shoots itself without giving you control (and ball search mode isn't being activated)... I suspect it's some sophistication in the rule set that we are not privy to yet.

And one more thing Ed... If you do call Stern and explain what your perceiving as an issue to Chas he WILL offer to go have a conversation with Borg and find out if this is an anomaly or if there is some conceptualization behind it.

PLEASE post back here and let me/us know what the verdict is. I'm on pins and needles.

I do recall a third LE owner bring up this very question awhile back in passing but there was no discussion on it like I'm attempting to get started here. I can't find where it was mentioned, it's buried in an obscure thread somewhere. Since it was an early question I share and am privy to I've paid it attention during my meanderings at pinside and thus would take notice of. So I've recognized at least 3 LE owners were vocal on this very subject so far.

Since it doesn't harm gameplay in any respect that I recognize it has not been a detractor in my enjoyment of the game. Still, I am interested to bring it into the public discussion and get an official response from stern tech. You go Ed, I hope you continue your valiant quest for a proper answer!

I don't know how unlikely the coincidence if it isn't normal for at least 3 LE owners to have the same exact part "failure" (if that's what we should be calling this) to cause the crossbow to activate on it's own and perfectly nail targets. That's why I am tentatively confident it has something to do with the sophistication in the coding that I hope will be fleshed out in the future for our understanding. If that is to be the case we will need other LE owners to join the discussion here. Does Lyman have a pinside account?