Saving on gas money with your vehicle doesn’t always have to mean investing in a hybrid or plug in vehicle. Ford engineers are hard at work making sure that your vehicle is making the most of every drop of gasoline with features like Auto Start-Stop Technology on Ford vehicles. Recently Ford announced that this technology will be standard in all new Ecoboost-equipped F-150 trucks, in addition to several sedan and SUV models. But how does Auto Stop-Start work, and how does it save you money?
How Does Auto Start-Stop Work?
This technology can save on gas especially in areas with many traffic lights, and reduces CO2 emissions thanks to minimizing the time each truck or car idles.
For Ford truck owners, the Ecoboost 2016 Ford F-150 pickup has all the advantages of Auto Start-Stop, buy special consideration has been made for the instant power needed when towing or in four-wheel drive mode. During these times of high power-and-torque demands, the Auto Start-Stop function will not activate.
Read More: The 2016 F-150 Now Available Natural Gas and Propane Capable
What Ford vehicles have Auto Start-Stop?
Currently, Auto Start-Stop is standard for the 2016 Ford Focus with a 1.0-liter Ecoboost engine, 2016 Ford Fusion equipped with the 1.5-liter Ecoboost, 2016 Ford Edge with the twin-scroll Ecoboost, and the 2.7-liter Ford F-150 Ecoboost. In 2017 this technology will also be standard on the 2017 Ford Escape with either the 1.5-liter or 2.0-liter twin-scroll Ecoboost on the 2017 Ford F-150 (including the F-150 Raptor)with the 2.7-liter, 3.5-liter, and high-output 3.5-liter Ecoboost.
Contact an Akins Ford sales representative to find out more about the Ecoboost options available on our lot near the Mall of Georgia.
I am trying to determine what the “System” option means in the remote start menu on my 16 F150. So far have had no luck in understanding what it means if selected or not selected.
Hope you can help.
I HATE this start -stop engine in my new Escape- I did not buy it at Akins – I bought it at a dealer I have dealt with for years. I was not told about this change from the 2013 Escape I traded in. In traffic and a drive-up line, the car is constantly shutting off. I can just imagine the wear on the engine and the starter. It also is a weird feeling when the steering wheel locks and the engine does not start that quickly. If there was an emergency when I would need to move quickly, it isn’t going to happen. If I had know this, I would have never bought this car. Besides that, the headlights only shine to a certain level. Living in a hilly area, I feel this is very dangerous because when going down hill, I can only see a few feet in front of me – I cannot see the road ahead to see if there are deer or anything else in the road. I wish I had my old one back.
I just bought the 2017 Escape Titanium with stop start. I too drive in upstate NY & mountains- as for the lights – set the high beams to “auto” have no problem with watching for deer. As for the stop start. I wish I could change the settings to a longer time before shut off at traffic lights too.
HATE THIS STUPID DAMN FEATURE. I was told about it after my purchase when the dealer was going over all the controls. Would never buy another UNLESS it’ OFF BY DEFAULT!
I can understand the frustration of you Ford owners with the “stop/start” technology. The reason I will never get another Buick is that they all have this feature now. Whatever genius thought this stupid system up to save a couple miles per gallon was a complete moron. If you get stuck in the usual commuter traffic of on a highway with a traffic jam, your engine is going to stop dozens of times in 15 minutes! This sounds like a severe strain on the engine to me and reliability problems down the road. Also, I want smoothness, especially with an automatic transmission. That an engine shutting off every time you come to a stop and restart everytime you step on the gas pedal I’m sure is anything but smooth in the classic sense. I’ve been a Buick guy for years but my next car will be a Toyota Camry, which is manufactured by intelligent engineers and doesn’t have f’ing stop/start techonology! I think Mercedes or BMW first brought out this dumb system a few years ago and so GM and Ford are putting it all their vehicles (not Mustang, as far as I know). If BMW and Mercedes have it must be great, right? Wrong!!!!
It is really easy to turn the start-stop feature off.
I have heard there is a button that can be pressed to disable this feature but don’t know if it is still available on the 2018 & 2019 Edge, can you enlighten me ? I am considering buying an Edge, but do not like this feature, I would be good with pressing a button at each start up, I have also read that premium fuel is recommended for the Edge, will it “rattle” on regular?
Thanks for your time.
I have a 2016 Ford Edge SE, also with the Auto Stop-Start technology. The manufacturers’ claims that the technology has the potential to save upwards of 10% fuel per year (still searching for the analysis that informed this %).
Although it is a very useful technology, it can be easily disabled (until you manually restart the car next time), by:
a) Pressing the disable button (next to the gear lever – it’s marked (A))
b) there is a setting on the dash, that allows the feature to be disabled.
There are also several YouTube channels that shows how to “Permanently” disable the feature, but this may void the vehicle’s warranty.
If you don’t like the technology, just get into the routine to disabling the feature everytime you manually start the car
Sara, I can appreciate your concerns with the Start-Stop Technology, as I have a 2016 Ford Edge with the technology. It will take time to get accustomed to. Note that there are certain conditions that are required for the technology to operate optimally. These include the following:
– Door closed. if the driver’s door is opened, then the car will restart
– Seatbelt engaged. If the driver’s seatbelt is disengaged, then the car will restart
– Air Condition operating at optimal temperature. If the internal ambient temperature falls, then the car will restart
– Battery condition, if the battery is below the optimal operating level, then the car will not shut off
– Brake pedal depressed. The Start-Stop technology only operates when the a certain amount of pressure is applied to the brake pedal, by slighting releasing the pressure, then the car will restart.
Note that you can disengage the Start-Stop System, by pushing the disengage button on the center console. You may also disengage the Start-Stop system by checking the box in the Driver Interface screen, under “Settings”. You may also turn the S-S off with ForScan
Finally, if you really don’t like the technology, then get into the routine of turning it off with the button on the center console everytime you start the vehicle. Hope this helped
ian m.