Towing and new auto stop/start feature?

[mickrock]

I am hopefully looking at a new-to-me tow vehicle and realizing that most
vehicles in the last 4 year range have the auto stop/start feature.

The explanations for such are somewhat confusing to me, and I keep remembering
that vehicle behind me in a drive-thru line that stop/started at least 6 times
in about 10 minutes.

So, can somebody share their experience with auto stop/start and towing?

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

The only vehicle I had with the start top was a rental BMW. There is a way to disable it, but it must be disabled each time you start the vehicle.

Startup was always very quick. As soon as my braking foot begins to lift, the vehicle will start again, so the engine is running in gear before you actually release the brake.

The most annoying consequence of start/stop is that the engine will sometimes shut off just as you come to a stop, and then can start moving forwards almost right away. This can happen as you approach a red light that is about to turn green, stopping at a 4-way stop, or any stop sign where the cross traffic is minimal.

I don't see the start/stop feature as dangerous for towing, but perhaps more annoying.

 

[Shane826]

It’s really just an annoyance. You can turn it off in most any vehicle, and a lot of vehicles have aftermarket solutions to disable it entirely.

 

[wbmiller3]

In my F150 having a trailer plugged in disables the function.

 

[rich2468]

My 2020Toyota Highlander has auto start/stop, as well.

Disabling it each time I start with a trailer in-tow has become second nature.

There are a whole slew of automated/ safety features which I have to set to disabled before hitching to my TrailManor (blindspot protection, backup protection, lane assist, etc.) which stay disabled between restarting the vehicle, but auto start/stop has to be manually disabled on my Toyota each trip; so I've just become used to doing so.

If you tow with a relatively new tow vehicle, I'm sure you'll find the need to adjust several "safety" features which interfere with towing in addition to wanting to disable auto starr/stop feature included on many newer models.

 

[Shane826]

It’s amazing the manufacturers don’t have the foresight to make all that stuff turn off when a trailer is plugged in. Even on my 2017 Ram it irritates me that I have to turn Tow/Haul mode back on every time I re-start the engine with the camper hooked up. The truck gives a warning if the plug comes loose with the engine on so clearly the truck can see that it’s connected. Just make Tow/Haul come on automatically with a trailer!

 

[wbmiller3]

Yeah. It especially irritates me that Ford does not allow the autostart to be disabled permanently. If you are not towing, you have to turn it off every time you crank the truck. I actually got a jumpered trailer plug to leave in the socket permanently, which did work as far as disabling it went, but then the trailer info screen came up on the dash at every crank instead of my desired fuel economy screen. So I had to press buttons every start anyway, which made the device worthless.

One of these days I'll go behind the dash and short the wires to the autostart disable button. That'll fix em!

They ought to let us save our preferences like every other tech device does.

 

[Bill]

There seems to be an enormous amount of discussion and information available on the Internet. Try doing a search for "auto start-stop" and your specific vehicle year and model.

Bill

 

[highadventure]

You can permanently disable the auto stop/start feature in a F150. I did it to my 2017. Here's how:
Download the FORScan software from forscan.org. You can purchase a 1 year license or get a free 2 month license. You will also need to buy a PC cable. Search on Amazon or ebay for "forscan OBD2 cable."
I also installed an OEM trailer brake controller and used FORScan to enable it. There are a lot of changes you can make with the software. I presume it will work on all Ford models. Do an internet search for "popular forscan mods" to see what you can do. I presume it will work on all Ford vehicles.

Andy

2013 3124 KB purchased in 2020
2017 F150 w/3.5 EcoBoost
4" lift kit
wall thermostat for A/C (only one in existence perhaps?)
5.2 c.f. electric fridge
2 x 100 amp/hrs. LiFePO4 batteries
1000 watt pure sine wave inverter
auto transfer switch
aftermarket cassette toilet

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

You can permanently disable the auto stop/start feature in a F150. I did it to my 2017. Here's how:
Download the FORScan software from forscan.org. You can purchase a 1 year license or get a free 2 month license. You will also need to buy a PC cable. Search on Amazon or ebay for "forscan OBD2 cable."
...Andy

Forscan is great software, but I did find coding differences in year to year, especially model to model. I managed to disable the TPMS in my Ford Explorer so I could run rims without the sensors, and without the annoying dash light.

It took me trial and error to get it, and I got lucky. My first attempts used coding from another Ford model which caused issues with the 4wd modes! Fortunately I recorded all the original codes and restored them.

So if you have any Ford, you can probably disable the start/stop, but make sure you record your original settings first, and be prepared to try different settings.

 

[wbmiller3]

You can permanently disable the auto stop/start feature in a F150. I did it to my 2017. Here's how:
Download the FORScan software from forscan.org. You can purchase a 1 year license or get a free 2 month license. You will also need to buy a PC cable. Search on Amazon or ebay for "forscan OBD2 cable."

Thanks, that sounds great. I'll look into it, but I don't have a Windows computer to run the software on. Linux house only.

 

[Shane826]

Other Bill- ForScan works with an Android or iOS phone/tablet as well.

I have the Dodge equivalent (AlfaOBD) and I bought a cheapo used Android phone on Craigslist to run it. The phone and OBD dongle live in the glovebox so I always have a scan tool on hand should the truck throw a light. Just know that with any of these programs you can get yourself into trouble real quick if you’re not careful. I bought mine to program VIN and fuel injectors to a used tuned ECM. I’ve also enabled Bambi mode (fog lights don’t drop out with high beams), global window down (press unlock on remote 2x and hold, front windows drop), and a full time running lights as DRLs. Not bad for under $100 total investment.

That phone has become the remote control to the TM… It also functions as the display for my rearview camera, trailer TPMS operates through the phone, along with the LevelMate Pro and Hughes Watchdog EMS & surge protector. I’m looking at a Bluetooth enabled battery shunt… Guess where that will route through?

I’m trying to come up with a spot to mount it on the wall (prefer magnet like the car mount, maybe velcro) in the TM with a charging cord.