Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

[JPO]

Hi, on my drive to work today a weird thing happened. As I started to pull away from a light my car beeped, the brake light (the same one for the handbrake) started flashing and my ESP and ABS lights came on and stayed on. So I fed in some gas; wheelspin. I hit the brakes; no ABS. Good thing I was almost at work because I am still on summers and have marginally more than zero grip.

When I got to my parking garage I decided to turn the car off and then back on. When I turned it on the ABS light stayed on for a second and then went off. I pulled the car back outside and sure enough the ABS etc was working.

The car is a stock 03 VR6 Gti. Any thoughts?

[VWSM]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

It's called excessive wheel spin(where your front tires are spinning faster than the rears)
it can set a fault and kill your ABS.
Get it scanned and see if it set a mechanical speed fault.

[longsock]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

same thing happend to my car last year a couple of time, i turned the car off and back on and it was fine after...

[JPO]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

Thanks, sounds like a VW thing. The car is going in to get winters on next week. I'll have it scanned then. Funny how a quirk like that would exist when you need the systems most - and when you'd most likley have your fronts spinning quicker than the rears :S

[longsock]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

yeah it's really stupid .. i doubt it'll throw any codes but give it a shot, and i'm getting winters soon aswel

[stefan]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

when i had my car on the dyno a few years back, there were lights coming on after the front wheels were driving and the rears were stationary. The car just gets confused after that happens for too long I think.

[longsock]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

when i had my car on the dyno a few years back, there were lights coming on after the front wheels were driving and the rears were stationary. The car just gets confused after that happens for too long I think.

I think that's a good way to put it and it makes sense.

[Khyron]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

Also get off the gas a bit if the light is flashing. Yah you can drive through it but at some point it will cut throttle. It's an assistant not a driving crutch.

[JPO]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

Also get off the gas a bit if the light is flashing. Yah you can drive through it but at some point it will cut throttle. It's an assistant not a driving crutch.

I know. Trust me I am not simply mashing my foot down and hoping the ESP keeps me from careening into the next lane. In fact when I have my winters on I often turn the traction control off.

When it happened today I was being pretty gentle. I just don’t have any traction right now; the slightest prod of the gas gets the light blinking. The only reason I even went to work is because I could travel in so early that there is no traffic.

[J-hop]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

It's called excessive wheel spin(where your front tires are spinning faster than the rears)
it can set a fault and kill your ABS.
Get it scanned and see if it set a mechanical speed fault.

agreed with this statement as well as others above, happened to me last year when I got stuck in a rut and was trying to get out and I rolled back as the front wheels were spinning and it went crazy.

From what i've heard it thinks that the wheel speed sensor (or TC sensor whatever) is malfunctioning by returning a value that exceeds the normal range of differential wheel spin between the front and back. As a default it shuts the abs and traction control off because the system can't function without an accurate speed sensor.

I've also heard it happens most commonly from a stop.

No need to get it scanned though, it should reset after you restart the car a few times and drive it, (it will continually look for the code and if it isn't thrown again then you'll be good to go)

[Khyron]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

I know. Trust me I am not simply mashing my foot down and hoping the ESP keeps me from careening into the next lane. In fact when I have my winters on I often turn the traction control off.

Why? In what situation other than already being stuck do you gain any benefit from wheel spin? Do you pump your brakes?

When it happened today I was being pretty gentle. I just don’t have any traction right now; the slightest prod of the gas gets the light blinking. The only reason I even went to work is because I could travel in so early that there is no traffic.

If it's doing it on dry pavement fine, something's busted, but summers on snow have almost NO traction and will light up like a x-mas tree.

[vee_dubbin]

Re: Lost ABS/Stability/Traction Control

This is also common with the Audi's as well. Yesterday at work I pulled an 04 A4 into the shop from the parking lot, and before I even let the clutch out of first gear, the cluster light up like a Christmas tree with the traction control, ABS, ESP, and the parking brake warning light all blinking and flashing. He also had summer tires on and I had asked him if he was driving it spiritly while driving to the dealership and he grinned and said yes. This does reset itself after a key cycle but I would agree, its a dumb system. This is mainly for stupid drivers though. The car is trying to tell you that; "In case you haven't noticed, the wheels have not been grabbing traction equally for the past 20 mins. dumby!"