GMC/Chevy owners

Bought a new to me 2013 GMC Sierra truck . I’ve been getting a “park assist blocked see owners manual” warning on the dash . Check the owners manual , no help , says see certified mechanic . Recently took it to dealer for oil change and asked them to clear the code . They say they’ll check it out for a 95$ diagnostic fee . No thanks ! Googled it when I got home and found posts regarding the trailer hitch triggering this warning . Removed the hitch and sure enough the warning is gone . Really ? !! I have to take the hitch out every time I’m not trailering something ? Must be missing something simple here , but has anyone here had this problem ? Any suggestions ?

I never had a hitch alone do it. My hitch carrier would trigger it, but that didn’t surprise me. Heavy snow sticking to your bumper will trigger it, too.

I believe you can just tap the “check” button on the right side of the steering wheel to clear it off the display. Not worth a $95 diagnostic test…

Not sure it is true but I had a business customer tell me that driving with the receiver in the hitch when not hooked to a trailer was illegal. By the way my 2012 GMC
does the same thing. It’s because the middle sensors on the bumper can see the receiver. Being in the body business I can’t tell you how many repairs I have done do to receivers.

It can be cleared that way , just annoying every time I start the truck I have to do this . You’d think a 3/4 ton truck that is made for towing wouldn’t have this issue .

It is technically illegal to leave a receiver in when not in use. It’s not enforced often.

Mike Martine wrote:

It can be cleared that way , just annoying every time I start the truck I have to do this . You’d think a 3/4 ton truck that is made for towing wouldn’t have this issue .

My new dodge has dumb bumper sensors and beep at me when I’m connected to a trailer in tow mode.

No it is not illegal according to MN

From Mr. Munchie in 2014:

“http://www.myfox47.com/story/15250139/sheriffs-disspell-trailer-hitch-rumor
Quote:

Sheriffs around Iowa are dispelling a rumor that a new law was passed requires drivers to remove trailer hitches when not towing a trailer.

Fayette County Sheriff Marty Fisher says law enforcement agencies across the state have received numerous questions about the supposed new law.

Fisher says no legislation was enacted in 2010 or 2011 requiring you to remove the ball and ball mount from a trailer hitch receiver when not towing a trailer.
“It is not now nor previously illegal to leave a ball or ball mount in a trailer hitch receiver,” Sheriff Fisher said in a written statement.

He says the rumor began circulating in September of 2010 in southeast and south central Iowa but then lost momentum until recently.

Fisher says the rumor appears to be a result of a prank involving bogus homemade citations which were left on vehicles with the ball or ball mount left in a trailer hitch receiver when no trailer was attached.”

I have a 2017 that does it every once in a great while with or without the receiver in…guessing it’s snow/ice on the sensors…most auto part stores have a scanner u can stop and ask to use and clear it yourself but it will most likely show up again

Might not be illegal, but just let your wife go around the back of the truck and run into it. See what she has to ay when she gets up off the ground. I now what mine said

So I’m thinking I”ll buy a drop hitch to get it below the sensors.

I agree with David. Being in the autobody industry I have seen frames get bent from people getting hit in the back. Those receiver hitches act like a big lever, creating a lot more force being applied to the frame.

yahbuddy wrote:

I agree with David. Being in the autobody industry I have seen frames get bent from people getting hit in the back. Those receiver hitches act like a big lever, creating a lot more force being applied to the frame.

I’ve had oppsosite. I was rear ended and my receiver took all the impact. Saved my truck and frame was fine. The cavalier that hit me was a different story.

If some one rear ends you and it bends your frame, receiver or not that’s their a$$

I’ve had 5 GMC 2500’s and don’t recall ever having a sensor issue in back
Have had the rear camera say it needs calibrating or something like that.
Always been because of ice.snow build up.
I almost always have a trailer hitch in.
Good luck.

The sensors in my Ford will trigger when I have my 16″ long hitch in, never with a normal length one. Luckily I never really need the long dong shin-buster.

I’ve been hit twice…one with and one without the hitch on the truck. Guess which one didn’t require a new bumper? If you’re hit hard enough to bend the frame, you hit pretty dang hard and the fact of the hitch being in or not is irrelevant. Other vehicles? Sure, it can cause more damage…fix for that? Don’t rear-end a vehicle with a hitch…

Mike Martine wrote:

So I’m thinking I”ll buy a drop hitch to get it below the sensors.

Did this problem just start this winter? If yes, per Ralph’s suggestion, make sure to clear all sensors of snow and little ice buildups. Not sure how many sensors your truck has, I think mine has like 5.

How far back does your hitch extend?

My GMC park assist gets triggered when I use the longer receiver hitch with the big ball, but my regular 2 inch ball on a reciever sits close to the bumper and doesn’t trigger the park assist.

If your hitch is long, can you switch to a shorter one that sits closer to the bumper and try it?

You can also turn off park assist in the settings, but don’t do this if others dirve your truck as they may be used to getting a warning that there’s something behind them instead of looking.

Grouse

Bearcat89 wrote:

I’ve had oppsosite. I was rear ended and my receiver took all the impact. Saved my truck and frame was fine. The cavalier that hit me was a different story.

Same here. Had an retread in Minneapolis come flying up to me when I was stopped at a red light. Of course he hit the black ice strip that even a retread should know forms in front of every stop light in Minneapolis when it’s cold.

The front end of his Lexus met The Impaler, my 2 9/16 ball hitch on the long receiver. Saved my truck, he never got as far as my bumper before his radiator got punched and stopped him cold. Sucks to be him, too bad he was driving like a tool.

BTW, he tried that BS “it’s illegal to have a reciever hitch in when not towing” crap when the cops got there. Minneapols police told him total urban legend. Not a law in MN, never has been.

Grouse

jake47 wrote:

I believe you can just tap the “check” button on the right side of the steering wheel to clear it off the display. Not worth a $95 diagnostic test…

I just hit the Check button.

Wish i could turn off the backup camera and sensors…Kinda like i disabled the 4 cyl crap…

Mike Martine wrote:

So I’m thinking I”ll buy a drop hitch to get it below the sensors.

Just push the button to disable the park assist. It isn’t working anyway when you have the hitch in there so if you are going to leave the hitch in there, push the button and be done with it.
Those sensors are annoying. Wait until they start going all flaky on you when there is nothing in the way. I had them going nuts with the Denali I had so I just turned it off.
Thank goodness my new truck doesn’t have them. I just use the backup camera.

This entire conversation is only taking place because society is a bunch of dumba$$es.

Parking assist on vehicles…if you can’t park then you should not drive. ( not geared to the OP)
Back up trailer assist, sensors that apply brakes for us, sensors that control power going to the tires.
Its just crap the consumer is being charged for.
These new vehicles are far cry from what a truck used to and should be.

mark-bruzek wrote:

This entire conversation is only taking place because society is a bunch of dumba$$es.

Parking assist on vehicles…if you can’t park then you should not drive. ( not geared to the OP)
Back up trailer assist, sensors that apply brakes for us, sensors that control power going to the tires.
Its just crap the consumer is being charged for.
These new vehicles are far cry from what a truck used to and should be.

I totally agree. Wish I could buy a new 98 silverado. But I can’t so I bought a 17

Leaving the hitch on when not towing is legal in Iowa. Had someone tell me it was a $600. fine. Checked it out and found out he was wrong. Bar talk, urban legened, whatever.

Bearcat89 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mark-bruzek wrote:</div>
This entire conversation is only taking place because society is a bunch of dumba$$es.

Parking assist on vehicles…if you can’t park then you should not drive. ( not geared to the OP)
Back up trailer assist, sensors that apply brakes for us, sensors that control power going to the tires.
Its just crap the consumer is being charged for.
These new vehicles are far cry from what a truck used to and should be.

I totally agree. Wish I could buy a new 98 silverado.

X2

X3 Off subject, but this reminds me of the over hyped yuppie bumper that gm is bragging about.

In my Ram I can have it “permanently” shut off, meaning I don’t have to hit the disable button EVERYTIME I start the truck….

My Feerrd work truck has (had) to be disabled every-fricken-time….I think maybe even every time I put it in reverse.

Drove me nuts, I finally set the parking brake and put the truck in reverse to find the beeper/speaker (near the driver’s side foot) and yanked a wire off it

No more annoying beeps from my hitch…The only little downfall is everytime I start the truck it displays “check park assist.” I can clear it if I want (hit the clear button on the steering wheel), but really don’t care…..at least the beeping is gone lol

mark-bruzek wrote:

This entire conversation is only taking place because society is a bunch of dumba$$es.

Parking assist on vehicles…if you can’t park then you should not drive. ( not geared to the OP)
Back up trailer assist, sensors that apply brakes for us, sensors that control power going to the tires.
Its just crap the consumer is being charged for.
These new vehicles are far cry from what a truck used to and should be.

. I agree . Only had this truck 3 months and love it except for this annoying feature . For the last 10 years been driving a 96 f150 and was happy , old girl just wore out . I really don’t Need or want this feature , just think something like a hitch triggering this warning would have been obvious to the engineers who designed it. As grouse stated , I’ll look into disabling it . As far as the legality of leaving the hitch in , been driving around for 30 years with one in , not gonna change now . Thanks for the reply’s

Well I guess me and my 18 Sierra are screwed. I traded a 13 ford with EcoBoost and if the hitch was in it would send a annoying beep as soon as I put it in reverse, the only time I hear a chime now is if I’m backing on a slope

My 2013 Chevy does the same thing with my hitch and ball in the receiver. Just push the top button to bring back the odometer and it clears. I’m just short of 100K miles and it’s been doing it since new. Just the way it is.