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VSA, traction control and ABS light simultaneously came on

ExpandWeiner

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Honda Accord 2004
I'm the proud owner of a 2004 EX-L Accord and this happened a hour ago. So I parked on my usual spot and switched off the car. Came back a hour later, turned on the ignition, all the lights lit up and turned off as usual, started it up and half a second or so later all three lights came on at once. I drove for around 15 minutes with the lights on. I had to stop for a little bit and after starting the car, the lights remained for 10 or so seconds and turned off. They haven't come back since. I used my scan tool to check if I could get any hints, but there were no fault codes. Kinda puzzled on this one and I would appreciate any help :)
 
Update, lights are back on and this time I managed to use the OBD2 scanner while the lights were on. Unfortunately, no luck.
 

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Your code reader is probably only reading the engine ecu. You will need to access the abs ecu module as this is where the codes will be stored
 
Things just got interesting. While I was checking for fault codes, I had my handbrake up. As I started to get going, I noticed that the handbrake light stayed on, despite the handbrake being down. Another interesting thing is that, after I started getting up to speed, after ~10 kph all the lights, including the handbrake light, went off. This leads me to believe that there's nothing wrong with the VSA or the ABS systems, but rather the computer failing to properly update the dashboard to turn the lights out, when they should. Will try to unplug the battery and let it sit for a while. Hopefully this resets the all the systems adequately enough.

Link to video of behaviour: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PiB1Ius68vo4k60AkV2YZ7VVRr_kwVh/view?usp=drivesdk
 
I would try get to the handbrake switch to see if it's sticky, the grease on them can dry out so maybe it's staying in closed position when releasing lever then springing open with vibration once moving then investigate further
 
I haven't been able to replicate the handbrake light behavior and this is the first time it's happened. Probably not related to primary problem. The 3 lights are back and haven't gone off. I took off the battery terminals for an hour and gave them a cleaning for good measure, but to no avail. I looked up VSA and ABS fuses, and inspected them. They appear fine, but i swapped them around with other fuses that have the same rating, but again to no avail. I did notice that the brake fluid had gotten to about the mid point, and I topped up to the MAX line, but it did nothing. I guess I'm SOL until proper diagnosis.
 
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Try doing battery off procedure now that fluid is topped up. If it was just the brake fluid needing topped up the codes might clear themselves after a few ignition on off cycles. Some codes stay permanently stored even after fault is fixed and other codes delete themselves after the ecu passes it's checks after a preset number of on off cycles.
This was the behaviour on my previous Vauxhalls not sure if the Hondas are setup that way.
On a side note my partners nissan almeras parking brake light started to flicker on and off on braking and acceleration and i noticed the brake fluid reservoir was slightly low. I topped it up and it fixed it.
I then read in her owners manual the parking brake light was setup to illuminate when fluid low so it must of been at a level so that it was sloshing over to the side of sensor covering it and uncovering it on braking and acceleration
 
It may also be the sensors (particularly those running from the back wheels) have failed to send a pulse or two back to the ECU because of the outside temperature.

This might be down to a failing pickup, but I would first check for damp in the connectors in the wheel arch, pulling apart and reconnecting after spraying some switch cleaner around.
 
Would some WD-40 electrical contact cleaner do the trick? Also, if my reasoning is correct, having an ABS fault should cause VSA to act up too, right? VSA uses the ABS to apply the brakes on chosen wheels and without it, it couldn't do its job.
 
Alright I did the battery off procedure again, after having topped up the brake and clutch fluid back to the MAX line. Still no change at all. I'm gonna attempt the VSA and ABS reset procedure through the OBD2 port. Will report back.
 
Bad news. While I believe that I was successful in my resetting procedure of the ABS and VSA system, due to a reassuring click from the ABS modulator unit, the lights stayed off for around 10 seconds, after which they came back on. I'm starting to suspect if this has to do with air in the system, due to my brake pedal being awfully squishy.
 
Have you counted the lights on the dashboard since resetting the ECU, you should now have only the main fault reported whch will flag up as a double number code.

I would still clean the connectors all round since it is about the easiest procedure to carry out, anythng you have tried so far could be undone by just one intermittent contact.
 
I have had the same lights come up on my Mk8, ABS & VSA etc.

My normal OBD scanner couldnt find anything, went to see my mate with the proper kit and the NSR abs sensor has intemittant dropouts, most likely caused by dirt and stuff building up on the abs ring.
I have noticed even with this error, the ABS does still kick in when needed. I guess it ***umes the rear wheel speed across the axle going as the front is most important when abs is kicked in.

I have cleaned the connector which didn't really help, sensor is corroded in the hub so I'll tackle that when i have more time lol!
 
Until you’ve obtained the error code you’re just guessing I’m afraid. I’m in Halifax if you want to book a diagnostic and if the location works. Drop me a PM
 
I have had the same lights come up on my Mk8, ABS & VSA etc.

My normal OBD scanner couldnt find anything, went to see my mate with the proper kit and the NSR abs sensor has intemittant dropouts, most likely caused by dirt and stuff building up on the abs ring.
I have noticed even with this error, the ABS does still kick in when needed. I guess it ***umes the rear wheel speed across the axle going as the front is most important when abs is kicked in.

I have cleaned the connector which didn't really help, sensor is corroded in the hub so I'll tackle that when i have more time lol!
The connectors on the Mk7 are up near the shock absorbers/springs.
 
Have you counted the lights on the dashboard since resetting the ECU, you should now have only the main fault reported whch will flag up as a double number code.

I would still clean the connectors all round since it is about the easiest procedure to carry out, anythng you have tried so far could be undone by just one intermittent contact.
Where could I find this double number code if my scanner doesn't show faults? There are three lights on the dash board and the check engine light isn't on.
 
Start here


No scanner required, the fault numbers are part of the dashboard lights.
 
I would try get to the handbrake switch to see if it's sticky, the grease on them can dry out so maybe it's staying in closed position when releasing lever then springing open with vibration once moving then investigate further
Okay, since I finally found some free time, I decided to take apart my central console to tension my handbrake and while in there I inspected the handbrake switch. The handbrake light will not go off anymore, so I decided to have a look at it. The switch appears to be operating perfectly, no signs of getting stuck. I even tried to push it all the way down with my finger and the light is still on. I used WD 40 contact cleaner and attempted to insert and remove the connector to try to knock off rust or something that might prevent good contact, but nope. I put some regular WD-40 on it too, just to lube it somewhat and now it's real smooth. I'm starting to think that maybe the handbrake light has to do with the VSA module somehow.
 

Not saying this is the issue, but there is a link to rear sensors and of course the handbrake. Perhaps pulling the lever is moving the sensor cables if they are badly routed near the wheel, or there is still something intermittent going on with the connections.
 
Start here


No scanner required, the fault numbers are part of the dashboard lights.
I don't understand. There are no codes on the dash while I perform the reset. Here's a video of it. Still no codes on my reader.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1crbqDZ4p_DVABAxA6APLm9DQasRQjED3/view?usp=drivesdk
 

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Okay. After some more research I found out that the blinking pattern means something. The only pattern I'm getting is 1-7 (1 long and 7 short blinks).
 
My CL7 had VSA and ABS lights on for over a year and a cheap OBD2 scanner didn't pick up any faults so I kept driving and ignoring them. Some months later while driving on a mountain road I spun out rather easily after driving over some oil on the road, so figured it probably occurred because my VSA/ABS are offline so I had a mechanic plug in his fancy reader and he immediately found the fault: ABS sensor rear tire! He went back there and sure enough the cabling was tore. Had a new sensor arrive next day, simple plug and play, and VSA and ABS was restored.

If VSA/ABS cannot be reset as seen on YouTube, I'd would definitely recommend inspecting your ABS sensors. It's also a valid safety concern as VSA/ABS might be disabled depending on what the issue is.
 
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