General Motors To Implement Engine Stop-Start On Nearly All Vehicles By 2020
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In order to increase fleet-wide fuel economy in light of ever more-stringent CAFE regulations, General Motors will expand its use of engine stop-start systems to nearly all models sold globally by 2020. The move is partially influenced by the EPA’s decision to give compliance credits towards Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) levels to vehicles that include stop-start systems.
Including the system can improve city fuel economy by six percent in urban driving conditions, while adding roughly $300 to the cost of a vehicle.
Over 30 GM models sold in North America will include stop-start by 2018, an increase from the eleven models that currently offer it:
- Cadillac ATS (2016 and newer)
- Cadillac CTS (2016 and newer)
- GMC Acadia (second-gen 2017 and newer)
- Cadillac XT5 (2017 and newer)
- Chevrolet Silverado e-Assist (2016 and newer)
- GMC Sierra e-Assist (2016 and newer)
- Chevrolet Impala (2015 and newer)
- Chevrolet Cruze (2016 and newer)
- Chevrolet Malibu (2014 and newer)
- Buick LaCrosse
- Buick Regal
For those not familiar with the technology, here’s a briefer: engine stop-start allows a vehicle to conserve fuel by automatically shutting off the engine when the car comes to a stop (such as at stoplights or while in park). When the driver takes his or her foot off the brake, the engine automatically restarts.
While the engine is shut off, an auxiliary battery powers electric accessories such as heating and air conditioning, power windows, and radio. The system can also determine when not to shut the engine off, such as when the battery is low on power and in stop-and-go traffic.
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My daughter bought this Cruze w/out consulting me on the various manipulations of dealers & manufacturers. Needless to say she HATES the Auto Stop/Start as do the vast majority of consumers. This will definitely be the last GM product we buy if they do not offer a cut of button. And for the record, we also have BMW & there is absolutely no difference in the disturbance to the passengers, it’s a annoying regardless, so don’t let any pro-GM tell you different. HOWEVER, BMW did listen to their consumers and not only provided a button to disable, BUT with-in a year, after enough complaints, made it so that you only had to push button once and system would stay in current mode indefinitely until you switched it back; so no having to push button every time you enter vehicle…..
Well John that’s sadly one of GM’s selling ploys. And probably most other car makers. Simply not mentioning the start/stop system until after the sale, or letting the consumer find out the hard way. Sitting in southern California traffic, I often hear cars next me going through the constant cycling of starting then stopping, and back to starting. I gives me a headache just watching this “show”. There is no gas saving at this point. My concern is more of a safety factor. I know the day, which I hope never arrives, is when you or a family member is making that left-hand turn into oncoming traffic and your new car just doesn’t start up fast enough or hesitates? The cars should all have a way to permanently disable this nonsense. After-all, you are the one paying for the car, not the AQMD.
I was all set to buy a 2018 chevy traverse high country all though it is so expensive but after reading these reviews on the stop/start feature I may be rethinking my decision. Thanks for the input!
There is another problem with new engines that is called “Active Fuel Management” by GM. When a V8 doesn’t need all 8 cylinders to power the vehicle, it turns-off 4 of them, so even though you paid for a V8, it turns into a 4 banger when it wants to. The same with V6’s, it turns-off 2 cylinders when it decides to, so you have a 6 cylinder that becomes a 4 banger. I made the mistake of buying a Ram PU a few years ago. It had the big hemi V8, that became a 4 banger when it was coasting. When I gently applied the gas pedal, the engine/transmission would audibly “moan” until I punched the gas pedal, forcing the V8 to come alive again. I will never buy another “Active Fuel Management”, or “Auto start-stop” vehicle, until both can be disabled…
Well Jim I agree with you completely. I’ve had many comments regarding the sheer stupidity of the auto start/stop systems here, but sadly there really is nothing we as consumers can do about it except not purchase their product. However, you can disable the active fuel management on the GM products. Maybe even other auto makers vehicles as well. Simply purchase what is called, “The Range”. They have their own website which can provide answers to your questions. You just plug it into the OSB port under the dashboard and you’re done. Hope that helps.
How about the stop start I have a 2018 Denali Terrain I hate the stop start no fuel saving at all these cars are almost emission free they need a recall to disable this feature
Wow! I have decided to buy my first crossover… Of course, being a Cadillac driver (sedans) I turned to the XT5…
Well! I will not buy the XT5 because of the auto stop / start . It was the most annoying feature I have ever dealt with.
Also, I live in the south.. hot… and when the car shuts down, the air shuts down also. You have warm air blowing….
There should have been a button to toggle the feature off or on.. Going through a drive thru … the car shut off a good 5 times… Crazy..
I am now considering the Jaguar crossover. It has a button to turn the feature off.
Sad that I will have to leave GM / Cadillac ….
I happened to review the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Summit models and they have a button to turn-off their auto start-stop system. (I believe you have to push the button every time you start the engine.) If they still have that feature when I am ready to buy a luxury SUV, I may still buy an American made vehicle if GM fails to provide that capability.
The AutoStop Feature is pain. Had I known that the vehicle my wife purchased did not have bypass, I would not have purchased. Does GM have buy back feature.
I almost got into an accident because of the auto stop feature. I was waiting to turn left in front of oncoming traffic. There was a break in traffic so I accelerated. I did not realize the suv had turned off, when I accelerated the suv hesitated and lacked power. That brief moment was scary and dangerous. I like everything else about my week old Terrain but this auto stop might be a deal breaker.
Toni, I’m glad to know you weren’t hurt. Really. I’m afraid my worst predictions are becoming true. I had mentioned that very concern months ago on this website as part of my greater overall issues of safety. I never want to hear about anyone getting hurt in an automobile, but unless automakers come to that very conclusion, we will sadly start hearing about this more and more. Automakers don’t seem to take action until a great many people are killed or injured. They then issue a recall, settle lawsuits, and make up the costs by raising the prices on next years models. Start/stop is not needed. Leave the internal combustion engines alone, many great improvements have been made. Focus on all-electric vehicles with 400 to 500 miles between charges. Get the ball rolling on hydrogen powered vehicles, and lets forget about driver-less vehicles. No human being is going to get into a driver-less car and go for a ride on the freeways. Not for another 80 years or so.
I have heard these horror stories about the hesitation at startup with auto start/stop and wonder what GM is doing wrong. I own a F150 2.7l twin turbo with auto start stop and I can tell you that I can go from stop to full pedal and it will spin the tires with virtually no delay. I don’t think there is any way I can get to the gas pedal before the thing is started.
And before you make fun of the 2.7 liter motor I can tell you it is a LOT more fun to drive than my 5.3l silverado was a seems to tow better also.
There is nothing wrong with it. It is just that it is not something GM’s customers’ want and forcing it on them is retarded. No matter how well implemented two things are true about start-stop…
(1) It is not as refined as having the engine simply idle at a stand still. Why? Because when an engine goes from zero rpm to idle there is always that additional start-up vibration not disimilar to when you manually start the engine.
(2) The fuel savings are minimal and not even if it is not the choice between fuel savings and refinement should be one for the customer to make.
A lot of Ford owners don’t like it either but at least we get a switch to disable it. I didn’t like it at first but now I only notice when it doesn’t shut off… strange how that works :). I have also noticed more of a “shudder” in the GM 4 bangers where my v6 is very smooth. I dont know howt gm v6 models are.
As far as fuel savings, it depends on where you live and how you drive. Some areas I drive have long lights and railroad crossing and that would make more of a difference than rural roads. I believe that the bigger advantage would be in smog output and no I’m not a tree hunger. Its probably a good thing I don’t have a nice big V8 hotrod anymore though I wish I did. 🙂
I do not believe that the start-stop saves any fuel. Just after fueling on my way home I watch the mileage indicator, the start stop on my 2018 Buick Lacrosse will loose 2.7MPG at the stop light between my house and the fueling location. My GMC pickup with a 5.3 V8 in it on the same trip at the same stop light will loose 0.3 MPG….while it idles at the stop light. SOMEONE hopefully will make a plug in to disable this Stupid feature soon
I have stop/start on a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid and according to my experience what you write about seems not possible. A neighbor has a newer Audi SUV with stop/start and swears at the improved fuel economy. Not wasting fuel when the vehicle is stop cannot lead to lower mpg but higher mpg, unless you are doing some racing between stops. Of course, the possibility of something being wrong with the car is there. Any other problems?
I have had auto start stop for about a year now and I can verify that I get 1 to 2 mpg better with auto stop-start enabled. This is based on two tankful with enabled to do tankfulls disabled. I have a Ford F150 and I can disable it by the button on the dash.
To bad GM thinks they have to force it on you.
The entire CAFE nonsense should be scrapped by the Trump Administration; the choice between cars that use more or less fuel should be a customer choice not a government mandate. But that is a different topic for a different day.
The point here is not whether Start/Stop is a good technology. The point is that choice of fuel economy over refinement should not be something the manufacturer forces upon the customer over their objections. If the intent is to get a very minimally better CAFE score, the manufacturer CAN and SHOULD offer an aftermarket service to disable it. There is no legal or ethical barrier to selling or giving away for free a product or service that reduces fuel economy with the full understanding of the customer. If that were the case it’ll be illegal to sell higher performance tires (stickier higher rolling resistance) or stupid looking spoilers (increased drag). And, no aftermarket service or product sold or given away for free affects a company’s CAFE scoring. If so, the manufacturer or its affiliate dealers will not be able to sell tires, bed liners, tow hitches or whatever else.
Sorry but your exhaust pollution levels impose a health hazards to others and it is not up to you to poison other people just because of “your choice” any more than a corporation should be allowed to poison employees or nearby residents because of profits. Try being a neighbor to a person with a hot rod that tunes the car and makes noise at 6;00 am or 12 midnight as “his choice.” If you wish to drive an 8 mpg vehicle, that seems legal but the social responsibility of creating harm on yourself and others should not be legal. More people die from environmental contamination each year on the planet than in transportation crashes. That number is increasing.
I agree the system is something that should be scrapped, but I’m more interested in getting a “fix” for my car. I have a perfectly good vehicle with one stupid function that needs to be disabled. Certainly there is someone out there that knows how to disable the function, and that is who I’m looking for
Leave GM for a company that lets you disable it. Ford and Lincoln has a button to disable it and its easy to permenately disable it if you want to. European cars also have the button.
Its your choice.
I work for GM in sales. I hate the start stop technology. I also have customers that don’t like it and want buy a vehicle with it. There should be a option to turn it off. It doesn’t make since, it has to be hard on the starter.
Had I known about this I would have bought a Jeep or Ford which I find have the bypass feature.
Are you listening GM. Lost sales do not help the bottom line.
It doesn’t really matter if it is harder on the starter. The fact is that…
(1) it is a feature a significant portion of their customers hate for its reduction in refinement.
(2) It is NOT illegal or in any way unethical for GM to sell, or give away, a modification to disable it.
(3) Any such action will not affect GM’s CAFE rating because it is an after sales and aftermarket modification any more than selling a rock to put in the trunk does; the car was sold new with the the feature always on and so it counted (that’s the regulation and it was followed).
(4) So many manufacturers are offering an after sales disabling of Start/Stop. GM is STUPID to refuse to do so.
It’s that simple.
Sorry but your exhaust pollution levels impose a health hazards to others and it is not up to you to poison other people just because of “your choice” any more than a corporation should be allowed to poison employees or nearby residents because of profits. Try being a neighbor to a person with a hot rod that tunes the car and makes noise at 6;00 am or 12 midnight as “his choice.” If you wish to drive an 8 mpg vehicle, that seems legal but the social responsibility of creating harm on yourself and others should not be legal. More people die from environmental contamination each year on the planet than in transportation crashes. That number is increasing.
Surely there is a hacker out there somewhere that could figure out a defeat. I think everyone on this forum would be interested in buying one.
Ford owners have found 3 ways to permanently disable auto s/s even though they all have a switch to turn it off. All 3 processes are reversible in case they change their mind.
The auto s/s on my truck is so smooth I don’t even notice it anymore.
There is no good reason for GM NOT putting a disabling switch on the stop/start! I will not buy another vehicle without a disabling mechanism. SO, GM do you have your ears on???
From what I read the first GM cars with auto s/s did have a switch, well at least the Cadillacs did. Then GM in their infinate wisdom (sarcasm) decided to remove it.
I have always been a Chevy person but not any more
I have always been a Buick Person, but not any more. GM can shove the start/stop technology up their corporate ass!
I would consider a Cadillac XT5, or GMC Acadia Denali, if they came with a turn-off button for the auto start-stop feature. The Jeep Grand Cherokees have that turn-off button below the radio controls. If Jeeps can have that capability, why can’t General Motors vehicles? (Also, the Jeep Grand Cherokees with 6 cylinder engines, do not have cylinder deactivation. They don’t turn into a 4 banger, or 3 banger.)
The first year the Cadillac had Auto start-stop it did have a button then GM decided to eliminate the button. Buy a Lincoln they have the auto start-stop disable button.
just bought a new 2018 g m c terrain w/auto stop feature . this and other vehicles with this feature that can not be deleted or disabled should be classified as safety hazards ! , defective ! and or lemons ! as any other vehicle would be classified if it could not be mechanically/ electrically repaired to the customers satisfaction . NOT THE FACTORYS ! there should be a re-call or a manufacture buy back or trade policy to accomedate the victims of this hoax !
Just saw online that the 201o Silverado WILL have auto start stop. I foresee a lot of GM buyers defecting because of GMs policy of no disable button.
F150 has the disable button and can be turned off permenately if you want using software or other simple fixes.
2019 Silverado will have auto start stop. Fat fingers got the o below the 9. LOL