06/24/2025
!!ATTENTION!!
New(er) Car Owners with ESS (engine start stop) or fuel economy systems:
A few days ago, I was sitting in my air conditioned car, in a parking lot, answering emails. Suddenly, my car SHUT OFF. At first, I knew this had to do with fuel economy and was kind of impressed but mostly annoyed...I turned the car back on after a few minutes, finished my email, and headed home.
My pup, that was in her crate in the back of my car, let out a long tired yawn and I was suddenly terrified by what I had just realized:
IF YOU LEAVE YOUR CHILD (2 LEGS OR 4 LEGS) IN THE AIR CONDITIONED CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES TO GO GET "XYZ"... YOU COULD COME OUT TO A SHUT OFF VEHICLE!!
That's right! Some newer cars with the ESS systems will SHUT OFF after idling for a certain period of time. My Tahoe is 15 min. It started getting warm inside within 3 minutes!!
PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! share this information and research your car's systems and make sure you confirm what your car will do when left idling.
Sincerely, Liz and Quinn