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Automatic stop-start is a feature included in most gas-powered vehicles these days. When the car comes to a stop, the engine shuts off; when you get going again, it flicks back on, saving energy otherwise wasted while idling. It’s an easy way to conserve fuel, but now it’s hitting the chopping block in some full-size GM pickups due to the global shortage of semiconductors, as GM Authority reports.
It’s not the first fuel-saving feature to get left out of many Chevy and GMC trucks this year. Earlier on, automatic cylinder deactivation was also pulled from many Silverados and Sierras with the same chip shortage justification. Apparently, we’re still paying for all those electronics we snagged during the height of the pandemic, though this is far from the worst thing ever.
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The shortage is relatively limited in scope in the context of GM’s entire lineup, but it is affecting the brand’s most popular vehicles—full-size pickups. Both the 2021 Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500 are affected, but only 10-speed automatic models with the 5.3-liter or 6.2-liter V8. If you get the 2.7-liter four-cylinder version of the Silverado, for instance, you’ll still get stop-start. Same goes for models powered by the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel and 4.3-liter gas V6, while the latter’s still around.
For the people who hate stop-start, this may seem like a blessing. It gets even better for those folks, too, because all vehicles not equipped with stop-start will have an MSRP $50 lower than trucks with it. Perhaps these pandemic-era trucks will be more desirable in the future because of that.
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Every V8-equipped truck built after June 7—two days prior to this story’s publication—will not come with stop-start, so if you want one, you’ll have to wait a bit for these fresh new vehicles to arrive at dealerships. If you’re more worried about saving gas, well, you’ll have to check with your dealer to ensure it’s equipped on the truck you’re looking at.
It’s unclear how long this situation will go on. Chevrolet’s Senior Manager of Product and Brand Communications, Kevin M. Kelly, says that the semiconductor situation “continues to remain fluid globally,” so don’t expect stop-start to return any time soon.
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