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Attn-Chrysler Engineers-Start/stop programming change needed

4K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  hawkfan 
#1 ·
My 2018 Limited has the start stop and I use it but it has one stupid item in its programming. I drive up to where I want to stop and park the car. Put the foot on the brake and it stops. Shift it to park and it starts and then I shut it off. It should stay stopped when it is put in park. THe only way I find to defeat it is take the seat belt off before you stop and then it doesn't stop when you put the brake on and it keeps running until you shut it off.

I see no downside to my suggestion and see no reason for the programming as it is. It uses more gas and more wear and tear on the starter.

Seems like a simple and useful change. Perhaps someone who can cause it to happen will see it here or tell me why it is a bad idea.

All the best,
 
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#2 ·
What you are describing is a complaint registered here for as long as ESS has been out. There hasn't been a satisfactory explanation yet to this behavior. I compensate by deactivating ESS as I enter the driveway. It is a stupid step but it works for me.

I see you are in northern Wisconsin. Wait until winter when you start complaining that ESS never seems to engage. The battery always seems to be charging. We seem to have determined that batteries and engine have to be warm before ESS is working well. Lots of ten mile trips and ESS never engages whereas in the summer the ESS is on after a block or two.

FWIW you will note that ESS will not engage for a bunch of reasons including being stopped on a hill or having the wheels turned.

All in all, it has worked ok for me but I am dreading the cost of replacing two batteries rather that the usual one.
 
#3 ·
I have had the car during the 2018/19 winter and saw the problem with the battery. I have two vehicles and one driver and in a snowy winter I drive the 4wd pickup more than the car. It sat for 2-3 weeks without driving and then barely started. Anyhow, sparing you all the details I learned that if the start stop doesn't work it is time to put the battery charger on the car overnight. The drain from all the electronics in the cold weather kills the battery in 2-3 weeks and without charging it it takes along time to fill itself back up with normal driving. I had the dealer check the battery and he said it was dine and indeed after giving it a good charge it seems like it has been so we will see this next winter.

I only have one battery and not two. It and the starter are claimed to be different than the non start/stop engines.

I did spend 20 minutes trying various searches and couldn't find a previous discussion of my original post.

All the best,
 
#4 ·
I only have one battery and not two. It and the starter are claimed to be different than the non start/stop engines.


Your car has two batteries. The big main one and then a smaller auxiliary battery the size of a motorcycle battery just off to the side. That smaller battery is what powers the various electronics in your car when ESS kicks in, leaving the main battery to restart the engine when needed. If either battery is detected low the engine restarts.

As to the drive/park transition, I agree it’s really annoying. I recall reading it may be a safety requirement that ESS isn’t allowed to operate in park.

One solution might be having ESS not activate if any of the various front/back parking sensors are firing. That would at least cover the pulling into a garage or parking space use case.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I agree with @apnar: unless you have made some sort of modifications, @howie12, your 2018 Pacifica with ESS has 2 batteries. I also do what @Hilltoppper suggested: push the ESS button when pulling into the driveway so that when you apply the brakes to stop in the driveway, you won't go through the stop/start/stop cycle.
 
#7 ·
I think that is a good idea. It bothers me too. I'd also like to see a longer delay before the engine shuts off when stopped. I live in a small town with lots of short stops at stop signs and would like to see it stay on for 15 second before shutting off instead of the current 2 minutes or so. Also, I'd like to be able to shut this feature off and have it stay off after you shut the car down. I guess if you could defeat it permanently Chrysler wouldn't be able to use that feature to lower their average fleet mileage qualifications.
 
#8 ·
Hi, Howie 12. I have a 2018 Touring L that we have put over 24K miles on since July 2018, including a 5K trip out West this summer where the Pacifica performed flawlessly and returned 29 mpg overall in interstate driving, some of it in the mountain states. BUT I have found the stop/start system to be a pain. Come to a stoplight, full stop, engine shuts off, just as the light goes green. Pull up coming out of a plaza or driveway, stop to check traffic, engine shuts off, just as you're ready to pull out. I haven't had any problem with the stop/start, but find myself ALWAYS turning it off. The amount of gasoline it saves is minuscule. Tests have shown this to be true on almost every vehicle that has this system. In the summer, it turns off the engine when you most need the AC to blast away in a hot van, then it restarts to cool the van. My dealer told me that they are not supposed to disconnect the system, but I wish I could, other than pushing the dash button. Other than that, two other questionable Chrysler decisions: the center console with just cupholders, open underneath. I put in a cheap rectangular basket to hold sunglasses, etc. No real spare tire. Bought one from Tire Rack that I lashed down in the back for the summer trip, along with an electric bottle jack that raises the van nicely for tire changing, AFTER getting a screw through the face of the tread, flat tire along a local interstate, and having just a fun adventure injecting the sealant into the tire and inflating it. The milky white sealant did a nice job of taking off the clear coat on the alloy wheel also.
 
#9 ·
Pro-tip: The start/stop system shuts off based on how hard you press the brake.


If you mash the brake to the floor it will shut off.

If you press it lightly just enough to stop the vehicle (say, halfway), it will not shut off.
 
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