It’s something we’ve noticed for some time, but Roadshow tackled the subject on Thursday: why do the reverse lights emit when an owner locks or unlocks a General Motors vehicle?
The feature can be quite infuriating for other drivers perusing parking lots looking for a space, only to realize no one is even inside the GM car. The lights can stay on for up to two minutes.
GM’s reason behind the feature is to illuminate the surrounding area for drivers to avoid various things on the ground, be it a spill, puddles, holes, you name it. And GM isn’t breaking any federal laws by doing so.
The federal vehicle lighting regulations merely say a car must have at least one reverse light, the lights must illuminate when a car is in the “Reverse” gear, the lights must burn steadily and the lights can never come on while the car is moving forward.
In GM vehicles, the lights meet all of these regulations, and when the illuminate while parked, they’re not breaking any rules, either.
Perhaps some owners like the feature, which can also help identify the car in a parking lot at night, but it’s understandable how frustrating it might be for other drivers. Thankfully, the option can be defeated within the car’s settings menu.
Comments
The problem happens when in congested areas…If you’ve ever been anywhere where you can’t find parking, think last minute XMas shopping, that’s when seeing the backup lights causes headaches…
Real non news.
I keep mine to come on and never had anyone waiting on me as they generally see me walking to or from the cars with in the 60 seconds they are on.
It really comes in handy in dark driveways at night.
Even the host here said he never noticed this this e mailer sent this.
I have more issue with the number of cars today that do not have auto headlamps and they go driving around town after sunset with no headlights.
Even the host here said he never noticed this this e mailer sent this.
So I would say to another driver that these lights are being a pain in the butt. Not my problem! Why don’t you focus on what your car is doing and not mine!
GM exploited a loophole that violates the spirit of the law. The lights on your car are for other motorists to pay attention to, see you, and understand your intentions. I suppose, unlike you, most motorists pay attention to other vehicles when they are driving; especially in parking lots where backing up is the most hazardous thing you need to do and any help we can provide each other is paramount. We own an Impala and it’s the “feature” I hate most because we are sending mixed signals to other drivers.
I love this feature and have taken full advantage of it by attaching LED strip lights on the bottom side of my fenders behind the rear tires. Now when I lock/unlock my pickup a big area around the rear lights up. At work we park on gravel and years ago when I did this we had a mole issue that was a big tripping problem. I also installed LED strip lights along the inside of my bed and placed a rocker switch into the rubber grommet that is right inside the bed when you lower the tailgate. Now I want to install LED lights into my outside mirrors since I do not have the puddle lights on my pickup.
This is an issue?!?!?! Never once heard a complaint. A critical comment however is being missed here. Having these back-up lights go on, especially when unlocking, is a safety feature. These days it’s good to have the area around your car light up to see if someone or something is hiding in the shadows.
I have grown to hate this feature as there have been numerous times in parking lots where I have stopped to let someone back out only to then see it is just these infernal lights being on due to someone either leaving or coming to their vehicle. Very annoying and an answer to a question nobody asked.
It amazes me what people complain about!
Anybody for a game of freakin Chicken. Trying to drive out of a parking lot when half the Idiots cars have backup lights on. Defeats the whole purpose of the backup light.
I have a Chevy Equinox and all the model years have this feature since 2005. This is a great safety feature. Whoever is “bothered” by this is a pure idiot because we need visibility to protect our vehicles, day or night!
up to 2 minutes? Which one?
Names or didn’t happen.
My G6 GT Coupe stays on for all of 20 seconds max and if some parking lot shark gets upset then they need to learn some anger management skills.
Some models are able to set a time option. Most are in the last two years.
Both of my Denali Models have it as most Cadillac’s Buick’s and now Chevys.
The G6 is just older and from a time it was offered.
Besides Pontiac people are supposed to be faster so they have no need for more time……..
My 2002 Trailblazer had this and I always noticed it but it never greatly affected me, positively or negatively. I’ve always been curious about it but always chocked it up to an interesting GM quirk and have noticed it on every vehicle I see it with since.
For unlocking, this is a non-issue. You’re walking up to the car, any driver can see what you’re doing.
I don’t see any point of reverse lights for locking. None of my GMs have done that and I’ve had plenty from each brand. Which GM vehicles turn on their reverse lights when you press LOCK ???
He sounds like just another irritated idiot needing something to vent over.
Look at all of the touchy GM owners here. Someone criticizes a feature of your car and you take it so personally.
The feature is a public nusisance because those of us driving by think you’re backing up and stop. But now that I know it’s a setting and many GM owners are babies, I’m no longer going to break. If you really are backing up you’ll get a honk or a repair bill.
I hate this “feature”. I am concerned that it will desensitize people to the back-up lights and cause more wrecks. This is either trolling on a massive scale or a way to drive up insurance claims.
Sounds more like a financial decision probably related to a tail lighting harness being justified as “safety”. What a great way to punish the good samaritans that try to let people back out comfortably and instill a higher dismissal rate of reverse lights in parking lots. How many people did those ignition switches kill again?
This is indeed one of the worst “features” GM has come up with, and it never should have made it into production vehicles. The lights indicate a vehicle is backing up or is about to back up. They should not be used for anything else, “pretend safety” or otherwise.
As someone who designs for a living, this design, if in fact a “safety” feature, is very lazy engineering. If this feature was actually meant to illuminate around the vehicle, it would be better as LEDs built into the bumper, installed at the optimum angle. GM saves money by incorporating this feature into the already-required reverse lights. This, as others have commented, causes unnecessary confusion to other motorists. Many comments here by owners who enjoy the feature are very dismissive and inconsiderate of fellow motorists. GM could design bumpers with the holes, install LEDs in them, maybe add one relay and split off from an existing fuse to make this work. I’m sure their engineers brought this up but the management wouldn’t bite when they saw the math. They can achieve the same goal of “safety” at the expense of other drivers. Wouldn’t surprise me if this actually started as a mistake that made it thru production, only to be discovered later. Instead of issuing a recall, they just went with it.
This makes zero sense! So you want GM to fix a problem that doesn’t exist! I can understand why GM said no, I would of to. Of all the things on a car to focus on this definitely is not one of them!
You would have also said no to creating false alarms among other drivers?
If you feel the need to take care of the less fortunate meaning the stupid! If you cant figure out that a car is not backing out of a space then you need to turn in your keys and stop driving!!!
Some problems dont need to be fixed!
According to Brian, screw all the other drivers! Again, I’m not calling for GM to do anything. Im pointing out that the design, if in fact for safety, was gone about the LAZIEST and least effective way imaginable. Drilling a couple holes in the bumper, installing LED lights, and adding one more relay would have been much more effective. Providing brighter light over a larger area. But it is cheaper to add a line of code and use existing lights. That is all.
I’d bet if I rear ended one of these vehicles as they began backing out of a space, I would have a legitimate chance of winning in court by citing the current design. Worse yet, I hope no parents with smaller children get desensitized at seeing these reverse lights that they ignore them when a vehicle is actually backing up. I have paused a hundred times in parking lots while walking to the store because of this stupid design. Really aucks when it is raining
You’re 100% correct. It’s a terrible, ineffective design. It actually works against safety by not serving any purpose while confusing other drivers and ultimately desensitizing people.
Brian, you are a tool sir. It’s not complaining. It’s a fact. The lights give the false impression that a vehicle is backing up, as before this “feature” that is all those lights were ever for or have ever done. So now when people express their annoyance at the fact that the car is signaling that it is backing up when it isn’t, you get all up in your feelings. It’s a nuisance, plain as simple and shows a severe lack of forethought in the design team. We’ve all survived this long without “safety lights” behind our vehicles. Everyone also has a phone with a flashlight feature. If I need to see I simply pop that on
I maybe a tool buy you are something that I am not allowed to reveal on this site!!!
Look if you cant tell that a car is backing out of a space lights on or off then you need to go turn in your keys and never drive again.
You are clearly not smart enough to be allowed to drive on populated roads.
My point all along is that those lights should not bother you as a driver. If they do then you have more problems then reverse lights in this world!!!
Your inability to comprehend the situation is astounding while your lack of empathy is just sad. I’ll spell it out for you, and then you can issue your predictable nasty reply. When the reverse lights are on, people stop — often abruptly to avoid collision — and wait. They wait because they don’t want to be behind the car when it backs up. Or they wait out of consideration for the other driver. But when those lights stay on for a long time for something unrelated, it is inconsiderate to the other driver to create a misleading situation and false alarm. Eventually, drivers become less likely to wait for the lights and it creates a hazardous situation for everyone.
See people like yourself is the reason cars and trucks are loaded with lights that we just dont need. This is not a safety issue, it’s a common sense issue! Clearly you dont have any common sense. You dont pay attention to lights, you pay attention to the car or truck. If the vehicle is not moving then you dont break. The lights are meaningless, so if all of the lights on the car were not working and the car was driving backwards would you not stop because you dont see a light? No, you react to what the car is doing not what the lights are doing!!! Again common sense!
Apparently I have learned this and people like yourself have not.
If there are too many lights on cars, then why are you so emotionally attached to this one which now serves even less purpose?
It’s astounding that you don’t understand the point of lights as indicators of what’s about to happen and not what’s happening at that very moment. They give time to prepare. And just as important, they alert others to actions around them when others aren’t looking directly. That’s why you, Brain, haven’t rear ended, on many occasions, cars which are stopping when you aren’t paying 100% attention. Or do you not need brake lights either because you are always paying perfect attention? And if so, then what about the people behind you who have also been kept from rear ending you or who haven’t hit you when you’re backing out?
There’s the problem with your reasoning — you aren’t solving problems in the real world but rather ignoring them in your imaginary world of minimal lighting and perfect perception.
You can have the last word now. Bye.
I love people who run from arguments. My point all along is this, you are not supposed to pay attention to lights!!! You pay attention to the vehicle, lights are not always going to work but a moving vehicle is always moving!
It’s no wonder why there are so many accidents in this world, people were taught to focus on lights. If you are in a parking lot paying attention to the vehicle is way more important than what lights are on or off!!!
If the car is not moving then you proceed on, if the car is moving then you need to stop. It’s that simple or maybe it just that simple for me.
Either way it should not be this complicated
I work for a company that needs me to install back up beepers on. And this is a real pain in the butt. Since when you lock or unlock. Or even remove key from ignition. The beeper beeps until the lights decide to turn off. If they even do. Real dumb to have the back up lights come o
Any way to change the settings on this? Were having same issue. We have a higher modle and are able to change the settings through the display but the lesser models dont have this option weve even hooked up a scan tool to search settings that way..what have u done to stop this annoying stuff
Brian is a moron if he doesn’t understand why this posses people off. Chevy is the biggest moron thinking this was a good idea. I will never buy a vehicle that does this because I don’t want my car keyed by pissed off normal thinking people. F chevy
You are the moron for allowing this stuff to bother you!!! What are you 7 years old? The car makes a beep at you and you cant bare to be seen in a car that does it!!! Talk about entitled!!!
It amazes me the things that people find when they nitpick a car or truck to death.
People like you say the car should not do that, then put your money up and start a automotive company. Start building your own cars, oh that’s right you dont have that kind of capital. So instead you expect GM to build cars specifically for you.
If you don’t see the issue with this “safety feature ” you are blind. The reverse lights have been on cars for 100 years and were put there to show the car is going to back up, which is a SAFETY FEATURE but Chevy decided to throw a monkey wrench in that. So now I have a question for anyone who still thinks this is a good idea, will you tell your children or grandchildren its ok to walk behind the cars with the white lights on cus there just sitting there? Or will you tell them to stop because you can get run over?
White light on = reverse. Everyone knows this.
Why is that so hard to understand
This was a completely asanine idea for gm and anyone that doesn’t agree is a complete idiot
Every time I am driving in a parking lot and see a gm product with backup lights I have to wonder is it going to backup or not so I have to either back up traffic flow being extra careful or just assume that no one is in it and it’s just gm being so stupid again
No you are the moron for not being able to determine if a car is moving or not. Lights dont matter, if the taillights were out and the car in front of you stopped would you just hit it because the lights were not on? No!
Here’s a idea just pay attention to the car if its moving its leaving if not find another spot. Stop being a dinosaur!!! I can’t believe what people will complain about and bother them.
Is this the kind of stuff that keeps people up at night? No wonder the suicide rate is so high. People sit around contemplating crap like this.
There are way more important things in life to worry about then this.
Oh my god, here goes this idiot again with his dumbass logic. Reverse lights are an INDICATOR that a car is ABOUT TO back up. So if one of the cars has the white lights on, it’s completely feasible and expected that someone would take this as an INDICATION that the car is about to back up, so they slow down or hesitate, no? Do you just ignore white lights on ANY car when you’re driving, just because GM has them? “Fuck the lights; I’ll wait until someone is actually backing up before I do anything.” You must be a GREAT driver. Your logic is so backwards. Nobody said they can’t tell if a car is backing up without lights – it’s quite the opposite – so your point about no brake lights is idiotic and flawed. How about this? What if the car in front of you’s brake lights came on for no reason? Would you not think they were braking and thus hit your brakes, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE LIGHTS ARE FOR AND THAT’S WHAT YOU’D EXPECT? Or you’d just keep driving into their back end until you noticeably saw the vehicle slow down? You dolt.
Actually this has pissed me off since GM decided that a globally recognized warning indicator was just a simple tool for illumination. I nearly got rear ended tonight when the car next to me popped on it’s backup lights and I slammed on the brakes. Then the lady got out and not only the backup lights but her brake lights stayed on as well. What is GM’s issue? They just don’t care about anybody getting smashed behind their vehicle because you can’t tell if GM’s garbage is backing up or not. This absolutely asinine shortsighted mentality apparently extends to their owners as well. Who cares about safety I want a bit more light behind my car. Unreal.
Sometimes I just go and sit in parking lots with my GM truck waiting to fool people into thinking I’m leaving. Its most fun around Christmas.
😂 well that might be fun, but the lights are still a terrible and dangerous design decision
I like the lights, they are like work lights, helping me see when I am loading or unloading my Yukon.
Thank you! Finally a sensible comment
It is amazing how we have changed as a society. The first conclusion a business arrives at is ” we are not breaking any laws”. When the entirety of our drivers education system and all drivers know this to mean a car is backing up. What they have inadvertently done is encourage more “road rage”, but hey t least they are not breaking the law.
Maybe, just maybe a company could realize the impact they are having, and address the illumination the driver wants in a different way. Got an idea, how but they put lights under the car in the underbody area that turn off the moment you take it out of park.
This annoys me as well. At this point, I just blow my horn at them in case someone is actually planning on backing up and keep driving.
When your reverse lights come on while I’m walking behind your car, don’t get mad when I dent your trunk lid. Just trying to keep myself from getting run over
This is so asinine and an indication that safety is your lowest concern. I pulled into a parking lot and jammed on the brakes when the car to my left’s brake lights and backup “WARNING” lights came on only to find out that GM doesn’t consider them warning indicators at all. So how the F**k do we know when a GM car is backing up or if the lights came on for no discernible reason? You don’t, they’ve negated one of the THE MOST IMPORTANT external warning indicators on the vehicle. Just to provide a bit more illumination. Such an idiotic short sighted mindset is clearly a symptom of way bigger systemic problems upstream. Apparently GM just doesn’t care if people get backed over by silent “Stop/Start” cars that show backup warning lights as no warning at all. Unbelievable.
This is a stupid idea. If you haven’t heard of the boy that cried wolf, if I see a GM vehicle with it’s reverse lights on I can assume that this “safety feature” is on and continue driving behind it without fear of it actually moving in reverse. What next brake lights on while driving forward? Stupid.
Exactly! Not everybody has the intelligence to understand this apparently
Backup lights on indicate movement is about to happen especially with no brake lights on. Just like parking light do not indicate forward movement on the front. Some daylight running lights are so poor can’t tell they are on , others replace with super bright led and blind people day and night. Ford has courtesy lamps on mirrors illuminating where you will step. Tail lights RED Stay on for a bit , the headlights can be programmed to stay on . I would need to look hard for a long time to find these dark places that I would need backup lights to light up. Other than local Amish. They even have solar lights lighting driveway .Every shopping parking lot I have seen people hit brakes thinking car is pulling out because of these gm backup lights.
With how bright LED License plate lamps are, and almost every vehicle having them, why not make the license plate lamps stay on instead? It would take the confusion out of it. Also I remember being confused by this the first time I saw it quite awhile ago, but once I got used to seeing it, it was no longer an issue as I knew only GM vehicles did this.