This Is Easily The Most Annoying Feature In Every General Motors Vehicle
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With the outward-facing corporate decree of “zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion” being bankrolled largely by V8-powered trucks and SUVs that require human inputs, it’s easy to see how General Motors can be critiqued as tone-deaf with that messaging. However, today we’re here to address a different tone problem.
Anybody who drives a recently built General Motors product – be it a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac – that has a push-button ignition knows what we’re talking about. The abrupt, loud, over-reactionary horn that happens every time the keys are left in the car once the driver’s door is closed after opening. Or, when the vehicle is running, and the keys leave the vehicle, once again once the driver’s door is closed after opening.
The most frustrating example of this is through GM’s Maven vehicles. They are locked/unlocked via the phone app, and the user actually never uses a key fob at all. Despite this, the horn notification goes off every single time the driver exits the vehicle. This is a massive oversight, at best. However, we might just as well have Washington DC to thank for all of this, as it is federally mandated that a vehicle with a push-button ignition needs to alert the operator if the keys exit the vehicle. But, then again, it’s not written that it has to be the horn. And to that end, the feature is thankfully defeatable, after enough time reading the owners manual and figuring out how to turn it off, via the center console touch screen.
While we completely understand the fundamental need for some sort of notification in the event of absent-mindedness, there’s no reason for it to be this aggravating. Other automakers have figured it out, like Audi:
The chirp is has its own purpose, completely outside of the function that a horn provides. A chirp notification would arguably provide a more pleasant user experience than utilizing the horn. Especially in situations that require some quiet. Like trying not to disturb a sleepy neighborhood in the middle of the night. Moreover, it’s not like GM doesn’t know how to do this correctly. For example, each and every GM plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle emits a soft chirp when a successful charging process begins. Signaling to the user that the batteries are receiving the necessary power to recharge. We can’t see it being too difficult to extrapolate this sound effect to the entire vehicle portfolio, and use it instead of the horn to notify people about their key fob.
What are your thoughts on the GM horn notification? Let us know in the comments below.
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toyota is GARBAGE
It is because you left the key in the car. It is a warning to take the key with you as GM cars do not have a key pad like Ford.
My Buick LaCrosse has push button Start-Stop. I know its odd and rare but once in while in a hurry I don’t push the OFF button firmly enough. I know it’s loud but the car beeps a warning that the engine is still running with the doors closed ex fob. Maybe weird but I kind of like the warning.
I find this amusing if its the “most annoying feature.” For my customers who choose to have it left on: it doesn’t bother them and none of them have locked keys in a car since. For my customers who find it annoying: during the delivery process I not only go over where to find and turn off this function on the Infotainment system, I also make sure its turned off if they wish to not hear it. Shame on the salespeople selling these vehicles who didn’t do the courtesy of going over the vehicle. You shouldn’t have to look to your manual to learn how to adjust settings. These things should be brought to your attention before you drive home.
Those annoying GM blinkers…at times the new ones remind me of my grandfathers 1967 Caprice and my 75 Camaro.
shud be a slight chirp quietish….no horn honking …. a horn is supposed to be for warning of an impending collision or similar.
How the hell do i turn it offff .. 3 loud chirps everytime i leave my 15 yukon running
Here’s the fix;
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xwy9vzVLRDs
That’s the ticket!
Thank you!
Anyone found a fix for this shity feature
ya, read the magical owners manual and turn it off
settings to turn on or off the horn confirmations for key left in car and also for locking-unlocking are the vehicle settings you can change within the radio
My wife leaves her keys in the car, when I drive. The constant honking of the horn is obnoxious and really irritates both of us…there should be some way to tone it down or turn it off.
I KNOW WHAT I WANT IN AN AUTOMOBILE AND WEATHER IT IS MANUFACTURE OR BIG GOVERNMENT OR BOTH, THE LATTER BEING OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM. I DON’T WANT MY VEHICLE TELLING ME WITH A HORN I OPENED THE DOOR OR CLOSING THE DOOR I JUST OPENED OR CLOSED FOR ANY REASON. IN FACT I WOULD RATHER HAVE A REAL KEY BACK THAN THIS CRAP. ALL THIS JUST ADDS COST AND MORE TO GO WRONG. WHEN I DO SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS OPEN A DOOR OR CLOSE IT, I KNOW IT AND SHOULD I FORGET THAT IS MY PROBLEM. I DON’T NEED EVERYTHING DONE FOR ME, I AM STILL HERE AND MY FIRST CARS DID NOT EVEN HAVE SAFETY BELTS.
Stop being a dinosaur
The caps lock is just perfect for that post.
Omg.. thank you for this post i couldnt find anything online about it thought i was the only one dislike it.. i stoped driving my denali I hate it so much and just found out there is no way to turn off.. my brand new ram dose not do it thank god..
So you never read an owners manual. Not played with the convenience settings available within the radio…
Horn confirmation for when you leave a key in the car and horn confirmation for lock-unlock can all be controlled from the radio. Turn it off, turn it on… all at a fingers reach.
If there wouldn’t be a horn warning, the complaints would be, “i left my keys in the car and they are now locked in there”.
Magic.
journalisme normally involves some research right? then why did you do absolutely no research on why it honks if it was possible to turn it off? (which you can….)
i will quote , ” FAKE NEWS”
My Volt has an option to disable this alarm and I would think all of the rest of GM’s vehicles have the same option.
So think of it as a way to troll buyers who are too lazy to RTFM.
My horn beeps randomly when I get in my Sierra 1500 GMC Denali. My keys are never left in the vehicle. I wish GMC would make some operation instructions to turn this horn alert off more easily to find. It is not just annoying to me but also my neighbors at 2 o’clock in the morning. Most people who purchase this high tech vehicle are just ordinary people. So GMC please keep that in mind when building these sophisticated machines.
Open up the owners manual. It is in there.
Hit home button on or under the radio screen, go in to settings, go to “Vehicle”, scroll to “Remote Lock, Unlock, and Start”, scroll to the bottom and there is an option to turn it off. I have a 19 GMC Sierra, should be the same if not similar.
Cheers
because some people such as my neighbor across the street does not care… RAM Diesel…huge horn noise…inconsiderate for sure….
I read the owners manual for my 2019 GMC Elevation and it did NOT cover how to turn off the annoying horn. Thank you to the person who posted the steps how to
I have a 2018 chevy cruize and sometimes when I close my door the horn will blow for now reason. I have taken it to a dealership and they can’t find anything that is causing this. Can anyone help me with this and thank you in advance.