Auto Start-Stop is ‘designed’ to save us some gas money, it might save us a few dollars per year, but that’s actually not the goal of the manufacturer. This guide will show you how to disable this annoying feature on Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler & Compass.
The primary purpose of Auto Start-Stop feature is to reduce fleet emissions for the auto manufacturer, not save you gas money. This is why they have devoid us of an option of permanently disabling this function. Fortunately, there is a workaround to this, and does not cost any money, its just a matter of unplugging a wire.
- Locate the main 12V battery.
- Remove the Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) plug connected to the negative terminal of the battery.
- The system is no longer able to detect the battery condition and goes into bypass mode, permanently disabling the Auto Start-Stop.
After removing the sensor, you will see an alert “Start/Stop Unavailable, Service Start/Stop” in your instrument cluster screen every time you start your vehicle – but it goes away by itself after a few seconds.
Jeep Cherokee
The IBS sensor is located on the main 12V battery under the hood. Remove the plug from the sensor on the negative pole.
Jeep Wrangler
The method is a little different in Wrangler, pull up the button type sensor that detects closing of the hood and unplug the wire beneath it. Don’t worry, it won’t show you hood open warning in dash, as the button sensor on the left is for that purpose. The one on the right is only linked to Auto Start-Stop.
What is Intelligent battery sensor (IBS) for?
The IBS continuously analyzes the status of conventional 12-volt lead-acid batteries and provides information on parameters such as state of charge (SOC), starting ability (SOF) and aging (SOH) of the battery. The sensor is essential for the reliable operation of vehicle start-stop systems. It can be used on any standard battery. In addition to monitoring the battery, the IBS also helps in the detection of defective electronic vehicle components, since it also monitors the quiescent current. The sensor improves the diagnostic capability of the car and enables warnings of possible breakdowns, even if they are not caused by the battery. With an improved charging strategy, the IBS also extends the battery life by 10 to 20 percent.
Automatic start-stop system also annoys me. I had it coded so that it stays off and I don’t have to push a button every time I start the engine. It is also not healthy for the engine to start off constantly without or with less oil pressure. And it doesn’t save much fuel anyway.
Well, there can be a divided opinion. You will certainly be able to reduce fuel consumption and thus pollutant emissions in the city (according to the manufacturers, between 5-15%), but the components must also be designed for frequent switching on and off and this is of course reflected in the vehicle price and the price of the individual components.
For example, such vehicles run with so-called AGM batteries. This stands for “Absorbent Glass Mat” and means that these are lead-fleece batteries in which a glass-fiber fleece is saturated with the electrolyte (sulfuric acid). So there is no free sulfuric acid inside, which means that the battery can be operated in all positions.
I personally don’t really need this automatic start-stop. When I’m on the road with our company vehicle (Audi A4), it irritates me more and I think that it is rather detrimental to comfort. In my eyes, the wrong place is simply trying to make cars more environmentally friendly and to meet the legal requirements. The auto industry and politics are so hairy on their combustion engines maybe that why the development of electric vehicles is picking up.
I also would like to know how to code it to stay off.
How did you “code” it to stay off?
Would also like to know how to code it disable.
I have a 2020 Renegade Trailhawk. My start/stop not available keeps coming on my screen and stays on. I want this feature disabled permanently. Most annoy feature ever invented. How can I do this? I smell no burning or have ANY other problems. HELP!!!
will disconnecting it also stop the small battery from draining the main battery. My start stop was giving me issues and now my car battery keeps dying and this is the only solution I can come up with. I am hoping if I unplug that it will stop my main battery from dying. I have only had the car 2 months from a dealership and can’t get an appointment for a week. (fingers crossed)
My over ride button for my Auto Shut off stopped working .. is there a fuse for that ??
my 2019 Jeep cherokee, I read on a forum if you have factory tow package buy a red stop lite for hitch recvr and plug in to 4 post. unit thinks you are towing and will deactivate
This is actually inaccurate regarding the 2020 JL Wrangler. The hood ajar light will also stay illuminated if you disconnect the right side hood sensor. But if you can live with a hood light on the dash as well as the A! light then you dont have to worry about pressing the disable button ever again.
I don’t mind the warning lights, I am just glad there is a way to disable this awful auto start-stop feature forever. I am tired of pushing the button again and again.
You’re correct Ross, I found the same thing with the right hood sensor. I tested the left hood sensor and it disables the start/stop but does NOT say the hoods open 24/7 like the right sensor does. So I’m going to run it like this to see if I get any errors, but so far nothing. I can also remote start now, where I couldn’t when the right sensor was disabled. So for 2021 JL Wrangler Rubi, it seems this info is incorrect and is actually the left sensor, not the right one. Please let me know if anyone things this might cause me any issues. Cheers!
Or you could just “disable” by turning the feature off in the dash display settings menu. 2021 Cherokee
Feature doesn’t seem to really work. I changed mine to 5 minutes wait. It didn’t work. So I tried 1o minutes. It may have even caused engine surge at full stop.
You are not using the correct button. The 5, 10 minute gauge button in Settings, is for the amount of time you get to have, let’s say, your headlights to go off after you park and turn off your engine. I THOUGHT THE SAME THING!!
Does that work for a 2019 Cherokee? I disconnected the IBS switch at battery but the warning light never goes out on dash