Backup lights on after shutdown

[TallPaul]

Who's brilliant idea was this. Your driving through a parking lot and see backup lights on, so you are wary that they may back out, only to find out there is nobody in the vehicle. So is this some "convenience" feature, like the driver needs a light to walk out past the back of the car?

BAD IDEA. BAD, BAD, BAD. Give me the old days when you had to shut the lights of manually before you got out of the car or your battery died and anyone who got out of the car with the backup lights was an idiot who got run over by the car backing over them. Modern cars have way too many so-called bells and whistles.

There! I feel better now.

 

[brianl703]

Isn't there some DOT regulation that backup lights are only supposed to be on when the gearshift is actually in reverse?

 

[mechjames]

some chevrolets i've seen the back up lights come on when the remote unlock is pressed from the keyfob. suppost to provide light to get to the car in the dark I believe.

i've seen this on impalas, and in the bed lights of the ford trucks. on the ford trucks the backup lights don't come on, just the bed courtesy light.

 

[GMBoy]

This feature is called "perimeter lighting" and it is to light the way for the owner for convenience and/or safety in dark areas. It can be turned off in the Driver info center under preferences for most vehicles.

 

[JHZR2]

+1 to the OP.

 

[bretfraz]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
This feature is called "perimeter lighting" and it is to light the way for the owner for convenience and/or safety in dark areas. It can be turned off in the Driver info center under preferences for most vehicles.


Yep. My truck illuminates the reversing lights and the DRL's when I use the remote to unlock the doors.

Can't say I've ever been fooled by this feature when driving thru a parking lot, but I can understand why some wouldn't like it.

 

[eljefino]

I agree. The driving through the parking lot scenario is what bugs me as well.

I'm about ready to start accosting people who use the horn "beep" alarm feature as well. Most of those can be disabled if they read the manual. Needless noise pollution. To quote Hank Hill, "that horn is for highway emergency use only".

 

[PT1]

My Yukon Denali turned on all the white lights when you hit the unlock button, interior lights, back up lights, running boards, under mirrors and DRLs. Lit up the whole parking lot.

 

[bigmike]

My truck does this as well. Also the light bar comes on (white lights, not the red).

 

[ThirdeYe]

I absolutely hate that feature. I notice it quite often when I'm driving through a parking garage or parking lot and I stop/slow down for those, thinking someone's backing up only to have come to a stop and find out there's no one in the car.

 

[bigmike]

I slow down when I'm in a parking lot or garage anyway.

 

[friendly_jacek]

I started a similar thread a year ago or so. Very bad idea, almost all GM cars have it.

It's very confusing in my parking garage at work. There is very little visibility and you have to stop for backing up cars. Except for the fact that half of the cars with back up light on are not backing up.

The effect is fewer and fewer cars stop when I'm backing up with no visibility (with legitimate reverse lights) and at some points there will be a wreck.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I absolutely hate that feature. I notice it quite often when I'm driving through a parking garage or parking lot and I stop/slow down for those, thinking someone's backing up only to have come to a stop and find out there's no one in the car.

I guess the only thing you can do is not stop or slow for GM vehicles in that situation, unless you want to perform a community service by disabling them!

I don't like it, but it hasn't bothered me yet since I don't stop or slow for anyone unless they're already moving.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I normally wouldn't stop if they weren't already moving, but on campus people don't know how to drive. If you don't stop for them, they'll simply back into you without looking and you have to SLAM on your brakes. I'm always on guard when I'm driving through the campus parking lots/garages...

 

[rpn453]

Here's the previous thread:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/whats-up-with-the-white-backup-lights-in-new-gms.92172/

As Tosh pointed out, if the brakes lights aren't on with the backup lights (and the vehicle isn't available with a standard) then they're courtesy lights. I still don't like them.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I normally wouldn't stop if they weren't already moving, but on campus people don't know how to drive. If you don't stop for them, they'll simply back into you without looking and you have to SLAM on your brakes. I'm always on guard when I'm driving through the campus parking lots/garages...


I probably tend to drive pretty slowly through busy parking lots, so maybe it's less of an issue for me because of that. I also park as far away from other cars as I possibly can, so that helps too. I suppose there isn't a lot of congestion around here anyway!

 

[rshunter]

Just one more stupid idea brought to you by General Motors...

 

[MrHorspwer]

I love how the reverse lamps illuminate when I unlock the doors in my Trailblazer. I hit the unlock in parking lots then sit back and laugh at the people who slow down, thinking it's backing out.

Makes for hours of comedic entertainment.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
I love how the reverse lamps illuminate when I unlock the doors in my Trailblazer. I hit the unlock in parking lots then sit back and laugh at the people who slow down, thinking it's backing out.

Makes for hours of comedic entertainment.

 

[Win]

I like this feature.

I wish more cars had it. The '04 Jag lights the door area with a lamp in the mirror, but I like the surround lighting feature better.