It sucks when you're backing up a hill to hitch up a trailer and the hill assist is working....you give it light throttle and it doesn't want to move right away....then it lurches back when it finally releases.


Is there a way to shut it off?

 

I don't know of a way to turn it off, but I have to say that I haven't noticed that issue. I need to back up our driveway to connect our trailer, pretty steep, It goes all very smooth. I never noticed the truck lurching, but I can imagine that it could be annoying. You think it would be better without hill start assist? You'd be using the brake then?
How is yours when you start going on a steep hill? Do you get a lurch?

 

According to the owners manual it's only supposed to hold for 2 or 3 seconds. What you might try; shift into reverse- take foot off brake- wait 3 seconds- then back up normally ?

 

But once he waits 3 seconds, the truck would start rolling forward ... just saying. He won't be able to catch the exact time, I would guess.

 

With all my other trucks I just put the truck in 4-low and let off the brake...the truck backs up slowly and it's easy to get in position. I do think it would be better without hill start...I've had a lot of trucks and none had hill assist and every one of them was easier to hitch a trailer to on an incline.


It does let off after awhile but who wants to wait 3 seconds (feels longer than that but could be) everytime you tap your brakes when going under the trailer?

 

Yeah, it could be that this is my first auto transmission, and that's why I feel like it's extremely easy to back up under the trailer.

 

When it starts rolling.....push the accelerator and back up ???????

 

I think that doesn't help much. Depending on how steep the hill is, and what kind of surface, you may not want the truck to roll.
He complains about the truck jerking, and I am sure does not want it to roll forward at all. So if he presses the accelerator too early, it jerks. Too late it would roll forward. It would be very difficult to accurately predict when the truck releases the brakes and catch that exact moment. I think Dixiedogs point is that he can more smoothly manage to back up a hill slowly without hill start assist.
Maybe I misunderstand the issue.
But to me it seems very easy to do because I compare it to how it was with my stick shift.

 

I guess I was oversimpifying. From my research I can't find where it can be turned off.
I haven't tried backing up a steep hill yet with mine but I'll have to check it out. BUT it seems it shouldn't be any more difficult than in the old days with a manual transmission having to feather the clutch, accelerator and brake at the same time.
It just seems if the hill is steep, once the brake released and you feathered the accelarator you wouldn't need to keep hitting the brake thus not turning the hill assist on again. I mean if the hill is steep, as soon as you let off the pedal the truck would quit moving backward and then you feather the gas to hold it/start moving again.
All just guessing though as I haven't tried it yet. Just thinking of a work around.

Another work around.....lightly apply the parking brake. Hill assist isn't supposed to work with it applied.

 

I think those are all good ideas. Yes, holding the truck with the gas pedal should work. Not sure what exactly I did the two times I coupled my trailer, but I did not have any problems.
Interesting idea with the parking brake, msalyer. If that is applied very lightly, the pads may not even touch the disk, and hill start assist won't kick in if you are right. That would be equivalent to turning it off. Now I am interested, have to try that!

 

I loathe the electronic nannies that these new trucks have. Where was the hill assist when they still would give a manual transmission to you in your truck? With an automatic trans they really aren't needed.

 

That's my thought as well. With a manual transmission it makes sense to have Hill Hold Assist. With an automatic, I don't really see the point.

 

I like it for trailer towing, but it's probably not really needed.

 

That works for me. I hit the parking brake to the first stop, then I can backup to the Fifth Wheel trailer without the back end bouncing when hill assist disengages.

 

I hate the nannies too... but even an automatic will roll backward if the incline is decent.