What’s ESC in your car? It’s the Electronic Stability Control system that stabilizes your vehicle on the road whenever it’s about to go to a skid. This system relies on a dozen of other systems and sensors. Whenever something of those connected systems is faulty, the ESC light goes on.
Also, the ESC light may start flashing or illuminating exactly at the moment when the ESC system is working to keep your car stable on the road.
Turning off the ESC light is possible by solving the problem that triggered this warning. You should check the codes and see what’s causing the problem, in the first place. After that, you can fix the issue and the light will go off on its own.
Let’s see what can trigger the light in your car!
What does it mean when the ESC light is on?
In different vehicles, the ESC system has various functions. For example, in some cars, it may get information about the throttle flap position and in some other vehicles, it may even control the throttle to limit the engine revs at a certain moment.
So, the reasons why the ESC light may turn on are different. Here are the most common ones:
1) ESC is currently working
This usually happens when you are on a slippery road or off-roading. The ESC system tries to prevent your vehicle from skidding and losing control. In most cases, the ESC light is flashing, in this case. And this is not a real problem – this is just how the system works.
2) ABS is faulty
The Electronic Stability Control system uses ABS to limit wheel spinning. It automatically applies brakes on certain wheels which basically helps the system keep the car under control. When ABS is not working, the system can’t control the brakes.
3) Wheel speed sensors
If wheel speed sensors don’t send data to the ECU, the ESC system doesn’t know what’s happening with the wheels. And this is the only way it can decide if the car is losing control. So, in this case, you will see the ESC light on your dash.
4) Steering angle sensor
There is a sensor on the steering system that tells the car control modules where the steering wheel is located at the moment. Without knowing this, the ESC system can’t decide if the wheel speed sensors are sending proper data or if something is wrong. It’s absolutely worth checking if you see this light.
5) Brake pedal switch
To make proper decisions, the ESC system needs to understand whether you are pressing the brakes at the moment or not. For this, some modern systems may use the brake pedal switch. It’s easy to check – I will explain it to you later in this article.
6) You deactivated the ESC manually
Whenever you press the ESC button and deactivate the system, you will see the ESC light on the dash. This is an important safety feature in your car and it should be on at all times. You may only want to turn it off if you want to take your car into the controlled skidding.
7) Low battery issues
You will be surprised at how many different lights and messages can illuminate on the dash of your car when the battery is low. It changes the voltage in the system and makes the alternator mainly work to compensate the charge. Check your battery and recharge or replace it if needed.
Also, read this article about alternator issues to make sure yours is OK.
How do you turn off the ESC light in your car?
Well, I will describe two sets of things you may do. First of all, you will want to do some DIY checkups and make sure this is not something simple.
Here’s what you should try:
- Press the ESC button. If you accidentally turn off the ESC in your car, you may now solve the problem for free and within several seconds.
- Keep driving carefully. Maybe, the light is on because the system is active. Once you get on a good road that is not slippers, the system will calm down and the light will go off.
- Check if the brake lights are OK. Press the brake pedal and ask someone to see if the brake lights are illuminating. If not, you may be sure about the faulty brake pedal switch.
- Check the battery. If it’s older than 4-5 years, you may just replace it. If the battery is younger than that, check it with a multimeter and maybe give it some charging.
These are pretty simple things anyone can do without any labor costs in the dealership or repair shop. I’m sure, you will understand the reasons why the ESC light is illuminating and will be able to solve the problem in about half of the cases.
But if this doesn’t help, you should opt for some more complicated things:
- Use the OBD2 scanner. With the scanner, you can get the code that is possibly stored in one of the control units. This code will tell you which sensor is malfunctioning.
- Check the wiring and connections in the ABS sensors and steering wheel sensor. This will help you make sure that the systems are still connected and send signals.
- Reset the systems by disconnecting the battery. Sometimes, this will help you reset the ESC and get rid of the light. Make sure you disconnect the negative terminal first.
- Go to the dealer or repair shop and have the car inspected. If nothing helps, you have one choice left – pay for inspection. With a good professional scanner, the problem will be found immediately.
Many drivers ask me why they should go to dealerships if they can buy a cheap scanner in any store. Yes, they can. But those cheap scanners only communicate with the ECU (Engine Control Unit) and it’s not likely that the ECU will store all codes connected with the ESC system. Those error codes may be stored in many other modules and units and the cheap scanner will just not get them.
So, sometimes, paying $50 for inspection is not a bad idea.
By the way, in different cars the ESC light may be accompanies by various messages like the Traction Control Off in Toyota, for example.
Can you drive with the ESC light flashing or illuminating?
You can continue driving with the ESC light on but you should be careful. When this light is on (and if it doesn’t mean that the system is currently active), it means that the ESC system will not help you stabilize your car on the road.
This is bad news, especially in winter. You can’t even imagine how much silent work ESC does for you. It keeps the car under control in all situations and makes sure that you can turn and brake whenever you want.
Although ESC is not an all-mighty savior, it’s a very efficient system that impacts how you drive your car. And that’s why you should remember this when driving with the ESC light on:
- before cornering, make sure to lower the speed to the minimum;
- if the road is slippery, you should keep a larger distance from other cars;
- keep your vehicle further from any objects or other vehicles on the sides;
- brake way before you need, use coasting or engine braking for more stability;
- don’t brake or accelerate sharply;
- avoid any situations that can make your car skid;
- overall, be more careful and attentive behind the steering wheel.
If you follow these tips, you are safe to drive with the ESC light on. But it doesn’t mean that you should ignore the problem. It may also affect your ABS and other important safety features. So deal with this problem as soon as possible!
If you want to add something or share your experience, please write in the comments below!