Latest trend: reverse lights stay on after locking

[Quattro Pete]

I'm noticing this more and more nowadays. I did some quick web searching, and it appears to be a GM 'feature' predominantly. The reverse/backup lights can stay on for minutes after the owner left the vehicle and pressed the lock button. I guess it's meant to be a safety feature to help illuminate the area around the vehicle, but it causes all sorts of confusion in parking lots. You see a car with its backup lights on, you think it wants to reverse, so you slow down and/or stop and wait to let them leave. You wait and wait, only to realize there is nobody in the vehicle (hard to tell after dusk). Confusing technology. Ugh...

http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/quest...tion-to-reverse

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/general-motors-biggest-design-flaw-in-my-opinion-478752056

 

[gabriel9766]

Yup, my 2015 malibu does the same thing.reverse lights stay on after locking the car. Seems kinda weird.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
Yup, my 2015 malibu does the same thing.reverse lights stay on after locking the car. Seems kinda weird.

I think there is a way to go into the car's settings and disable them. Looks like they may be enabled by default.

 

[eljefino]

That is annoying and of course it's enabled by default, because "look at meeeeee". Same reason horns chirp when the lock is enabled, wow, I feel safe! And important!

 

[HerrStig]

Suppose the FRONT of the car is pointed in the direction you are walking?

 

[Rand]

Its super annoying.

 

[Garak]

You hit the nail on the head. It is annoying.

 

[mk378]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Suppose the FRONT of the car is pointed in the direction you are walking?

The headlights stay on for a time also.

I think the tell is that if someone really is driving the car preparing to back up, the brake lights would also be on, or the car would be moving.

 

[Mr Nice]

Doesn't that shorten battery life ?

 

[Blinker]

You can turn it off in the DIC settings. GM has been doing this on their trucks/suvs for 10 years now.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

It's a really annoying GM thing. Especially if you are in a parking lot and waiting because you see backup lights. I have had way too many close calls with people backing out of parking spots and almost hitting me, so I always stop if I see backup lights.

 

[Hokiefyd]

While apparently allowable by law, I think this implementation is a real hassle for everyone else. I'm very often waiting for driverless GM vehicles to back out of parking spaces.

I'd love to see this part of the law changed. I'd also like to see a requirement for amber rear turn signals to be added, but that's for a different discussion...

 

[Andrew1972]

Well another annoying feature now is drivers who put car in reverse and then text away for a few moments. I simply ask in parallel parking situations if they are leaving now.

 

[Blinker]

The reason they stay on is because they act as a courtesy light if you are walking away from your veh in the dark it helps light up the area so you can see where youre walking. Works well if you are carrying cargo that you unloaded from the rear trunk/cargo/bed area.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
it causes all sorts of confusion in parking lots.

And it's extremely confusing for pedestrians, who don't know whether they can proceed behind a vehicle or not without getting flattened.

It's a stupid idea in spite of the "safety" intent.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: stower17
The reason they stay on is because they act as a courtesy light

A courtesy to themselves and a disfavor to everyone else that they share the roads/parking lots with.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Suppose the FRONT of the car is pointed in the direction you are walking?


The headlights usually stay on for 30 seconds to a minuted after shutdown for that purpose.

I kinda like the feature, personally, as long as its configurable. What I really hate is the fact that for years, GM cars seem to be defaulted to unlock the doors as soon as you stop and put them in "park." The last thing I want is my wife or daughter pulling into a dark parking lot, putting it in park and having all the doors unlock... I believe its configurable also, but every rental car seems to have it enabled.

 

[Blinker]

If you dont like it complain to the federal govt because the laws on back up/reverse lights are extremely loose. They just cant be on when the veh is going forward.

Im more concerned with the blinding LED brake lights that so many cars have now. Some of them are so bright I have to squint my eyes to block out the brightness which means I'm impairing my vision. That is more of a safety concern than the courtesy backup lights.

 

[Blinker]

How are reverse lights a disfavor to everyone else? Are they blinding you? I see GM vehicles with this feature turned on all the time in parking lots and ive never had a confusing situation. Now cars backing up with no reverse lights, that is a huge safety issue to pedestrians and it increases the risk of parking lot accidents.

 

[Blinker]

As for the comment for rear amber turn signals...

In vehicles that implement the turn signal with the brake light bulbs, if your brake light goes out chances are the bulb thats used for the turn signal also went out with it and you will know by the blinking speed of the turn signal. Its sort of like an integrated diagnostic system.

Cars with amber turn signals are more likely to be driving around with burnt out brake lights because the turn signal system still works properly...

You could argue which is safer, i have several GM cars from the early 2000's when they experimented with amber on nearly all their cars and only with those cars do people tell me my brake light is out because I had no idea.