Stop beeping when towing Chevrolet Equinox

[katielee]

My toad is a 2018 Chevy Equinox. It is towable and works fine.

My issue is that it has push button starting and no "accesssory" point like a key start. Anyway, when I go through the towing procedure and get it in neutral, get the brake hooked up, and cut the engine, it continues to ding with a message saying to put the car in park. I turn off all accessories like the radio and the ding continues until we arrive at our destination.

Surely this is not right. I tried leaving the key fob in the car on the console thinking that might cause it, but it did not help. We stop every 3-4 hours and start the car as the manufacturer's instructions say so it does not drain my battery.

I have checked the manual and verified I have done everything right.

Anyone tow one of these vehicles or have any idea how to stop the ding?

[Bikinjim]

It should ding for about 30 minutes and then stop. Chevy did a poor job describing in the manual what would happen when setting the car up for towing. It’s sounds like you are doing everything right.

[steve52]

I know nothing about your Equinox. But it seems like there should be a fuse that could be pulled.

[katielee]

steve52 - When we were searching for a tow vehicle, we saw that on many vehicles, different fuses had to be removed. When we researched the Equinox, we saw that there was no requirement to remove a fuse. Surprised us so we checked with the dealer before we bought and then reviewed the vehicle manual on line and inside the car. No fuse removal required.

Bikinjim - Thanks. I did not think to see if it was still dinging when we arrived down in Florida. I will do that when we leave here. I assume you are correct as I see you have the same toad. Thanks.

[rvbiker45]

Look at the Pax side fuse panel on the console down by the floor. There may be a fuse called "Amplifier". If so, pull that and the noise should go away.

[Cat568]

My 2012 Equinox dings at me, while i'm sitting in it to set up tow conditions, with the door open. It shuts off after the door closes. I've listened. Probably not the 'remember your keys' warning?

[Bikinjim]

The 2018 Equinox’s are different from the earlier models. No fuses need to be pulled. The car will ding for 30 minutes after putting it in accessory mode with it left in neutral. However, the owners manual for the 2018 models didn’t say that was how it would work. Chevy cleared that up in the 2019 manual. It’s not yet on line, but I pulled up a page that was posted earlier on this forum that describes the dings for the 30 minutes. That is exactly how my car behaves.

[katielee]

Quick follow up for you Bikinjim. That last paragraph on page 1 where it says "It is required to charge the battery of the towed vehicle during RV towing".. Do you find that to be true? I drive about 4 -5 hours and normally stop once in between. No issues with a weak battery yet. I also start the car as it says in the manual.

I thought about getting a solar trickle charger and placing it in the front windshield to charge the battery as we travel.

Thanks for posting that update. Glad to hear Chevrolet recognized they needed to give batter guidance.

[Bikinjim]

Originally Posted by katielee

Quick follow up for you Bikinjim. That last paragraph on page 1 where it says "It is required to charge the battery of the towed vehicle during RV towing".. Do you find that to be true? I drive about 4 -5 hours and normally stop once in between. No issues with a weak battery yet. I also start the car as it says in the manual.

I thought about getting a solar trickle charger and placing it in the front windshield to charge the battery as we travel.

Thanks for posting that update. Glad to hear Chevrolet recognized they needed to give batter guidance.

I wired up my charge line before my first tow so I really can’t say how long the battery will stay up. We often drive over 4 hours without stopping so I wanted to be sure we wouldn’t have any issues. A charge line is simple and cheap insurance to avoid problems - just connect the +12 line in your light umbilical with a 12 gauge wire and a 10 amp fuse to the positive pole of your Equinox battery and you will be covered. I also don’t think a small solar charger will do anything to keep your battery charged. Most of those chargers are less than 10 watts so the most they would provide would be less than 1 amp under ideal conditions which usually isn’t the case. They work fine to keep a battery charged if there is no load on it, but just aren’t big enough to replace any meaningful load.

[Park Super]

Originally Posted by katielee

My toad is a 2018 Chevy Equinox. It is towable and works fine.

My issue is that it has push button starting and no "accesssory" point like a key start. Anyway, when I go through the towing procedure and get it in neutral, get the brake hooked up, and cut the engine, it continues to ding with a message saying to put the car in park. I turn off all accessories like the radio and the ding continues until we arrive at our destination.

Surely this is not right. I tried leaving the key fob in the car on the console thinking that might cause it, but it did not help. We stop every 3-4 hours and start the car as the manufacturer's instructions say so it does not drain my battery.

I have checked the manual and verified I have done everything right.

Anyone tow one of these vehicles or have any idea how to stop the ding?

There is a small article in the December issue of Motorhome Magazine in the Tech Savvy section, page 56, concerning this. The final word was that the beeping should quit after 30 minutes.

[katielee]

Originally Posted by Park Super

There is a small article in the December issue of Motorhome Magazine in the Tech Savvy section, page 56, concerning this. The final word was that the beeping should quit after 30 minutes.

Hmmm. Soon as I get back from Florida, I have to read the article. Can't believe I missed it. Thanks.