Q: Auto stop not working and changed to engine idle on a Tahoe hybrid. Any thoughts on what could be causing the change?

asked by on February 23, 2017

Hi:

I recently purchased a 2008 tahoe hybrid from a one owner- previous owner did a great job taking care of the vehicle. After a week of driving the vehicle, I decided to change the oil( using the recommended oil type etc). On week 2 I took the vehicle on a 500 mile road trip. Vehicle performed great etc. I did notice that when the vehicle came to a stop it would not not go into the "auto stop" mode as it did previously( week 1). It would rather go to engine idle. Any thoughts on what could be causing the change?

My car has 159000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi there. This is normal condition for your vehicle to perform an idle change from auto stop. The main transmission battery is low on a charge and is causing the engine to continue to drive under an idle condition to help charge up the battery. If the engine continues to run at idle and will not go back into auto stop, then I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you check the Hybrid battery condition and see if it has a low charge.

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