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This is a real "AI" ad from the US government about the end of the mandatory use of the auto start-stop.
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this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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I once rented the cheapest three cylinder Renault to drive in the mountainous terrain in 40 degree heat. The car barely managed to go uphill but not once I had problems with the AC or the start stop system. In the heat the car would stop the engine and then turn it back on as soon as temperature deviated from the set target. This would repeat two to three times, then it would just preemptively show a message on the screen saying "prioritizing thermal comfort" when stopped. The start-stop would resume as usual when it got cooler, no input was required at all.
Never got the hate for the feature, you just have to remember to jerk the steering wheel a bit before the light change if starting 1.5 seconds earlier is critical.
I had two motor options when I test drove my vehicle. One had start/stop and the other didn’t. I drove both on the same route. There was a freeway exit that was one of those slightly irregular yield right handers. I had to stop for maybe a second for a car to clear. The engine shut off. I hit the gas since it was now clear for plenty of time till the next car. It didn’t move. I hit the gas harder. Nothing. Now it’s starting to get questionable with the approaching car. Hit the gas harder. Then the engine finally kicks on when I’m in the accelerator about 50-75%. The vehicle squeals its tires as it pulls away. The sales person doesn’t really say anything from the passenger seat. That was my first and last time dealing with start/stop. I bought the other motor option.
That feels more like shitty electronics rather than something inherent for start stop. Sometimes my car fails to figure out that it's time to engage the clutch and I'm sitting and revving like an idiot without moving. Modern cars are terrible, unfortunately, parts for older cars are terrible as well.
The car from that story is my only automatic and it was a brand new vehicle. Everything else I own is a manual. They work exactly how I want all the time. I’m sad they’re dying out or at the bear minimum moving to crazy expensive sport models.
At least some of the problems that are reported from auto start stop are because people don't understand that battery load can cause it to not operate at all (I. e. not stop the vehicle running) meaning they don't get the cost savings on gas. Or that eventually your battery will need to be changed and it needs to be an AGM battery.
Every other time I've seen there be a problem it was because something was badly manufactured and there was a subsequent recall.
I had two motor options when I test drove my vehicle. One had start/stop and the other didn’t. I drove both on the same route. There was a freeway exit that was one of those slightly irregular yield right handers. I had to stop for maybe a second for a car to clear. The engine shut off. I hit the gas since it was now clear for plenty of time till the next car. It didn’t move. I hit the gas harder. Nothing. Now it’s starting to get questionable with the approaching car. Hit the gas harder. Then the engine finally kicks on when I’m in the accelerator about 50-75%. The vehicle squeals its tires as it pulls away. The sales person doesn’t really say anything from the passenger seat. That was my first and last time dealing with start/stop. I bought the other motor option.
That sounds like a defect. It obviously shouldn't happen in a new or even used car being sold by a dealer.
In any case, I'm not really defending Auto Start/Stop so much as I'm pointing out that the problems with it are either recall/manufacturer defect related or user ignorance.
The only reason it exists is to give better fuel efficiency (and less emissions) because that's a regulation through the NTSB. So I do wonder (if they did get rid of the requirement) how car companies would work within the ever more stringent fuel efficiency requirements.
At this rate my guess is Hybrids or full electric vehicles.