Vsc Off

[Xarnette15]

Fellas,

Just got back from Connecticut where I picked up my car from my family's house.

because i live in pittsburgh they were nice enough to go to the dealership and handle the purchase of my car for me. When I got back to CT this past weekend to get my car the damn VSC & VSC OFF lights are on.

When my parents picked up the car someone at the dealership found a way to turn it off.

My dilema is that :

A) The dealership is a Chevrolet Dealer and no one seems to know anything about lexus or which one of their service people looked at my car. (I am awaiting a call back on that)

B) The VSC button does not do anything.

C) I really do not want to have to drive from Pittsburgh to NYC where the dealer is to have this fixed under my 60 day warranty.

I know it could be anything from speed sensor, or worse. I believe the guy who owned it before me had aftermarket wheels. When they returned the stock wheels could they have missed something?

Also can places like Autozone and Advanced autoparts pull the codes for lexus or would I have to have a dealer run through it?

Any tips, are appreciated. I would love to not have to make that drive.

BTW i drive 8 hrs from CT to Pitt in some heavy rain w. no problems.

2005 GS300

Thanks in advance.

[Mits Driver]

Fellas,

Just got back from Connecticut where I picked up my car from my family's house.

because i live in pittsburgh they were nice enough to go to the dealership and handle the purchase of my car for me. When I got back to CT this past weekend to get my car the damn VSC & VSC OFF lights are on.

When my parents picked up the car someone at the dealership found a way to turn it off.

My dilema is that :

A) The dealership is a Chevrolet Dealer and no one seems to know anything about lexus or which one of their service people looked at my car. (I am awaiting a call back on that)

B) The VSC button does not do anything.

C) I really do not want to have to drive from Pittsburgh to NYC where the dealer is to have this fixed under my 60 day warranty.

I know it could be anything from speed sensor, or worse. I believe the guy who owned it before me had aftermarket wheels. When they returned the stock wheels could they have missed something?

Also can places like Autozone and Advanced autoparts pull the codes for lexus or would I have to have a dealer run through it?

Any tips, are appreciated. I would love to not have to make that drive.

BTW i drive 8 hrs from CT to Pitt in some heavy rain w. no problems.

2005 GS300

Thanks in advance.

I have a 2002 GS 300. After rotating the tires I got the VSC light and the switch wouldn't do anything. I had not worked on the brakes or anything else. I had done the front discs about 12000 miles before, but did not do anything but rotate the tires. I pulled two fuses and they apparently reset the computer. If you go in front of the battery there is a fuse panel. Looking at it from the right fender,after you take off the cover ther are two rows of fuses. The row next to the battery, starting from the right side of the car has 11 in that row. You are facing the rear of the car. Counting from the right side of the car, pull number 5 a 15 amp fuse, and number 9 a 25 amp one. Leave them out for at least 2 minutes or longer if you are doing something else. That seems to reset the VSC light as well as the check engine light. I think the VSC stinks any way. It cuts your power right when you are in traffic, away from a light and a limited slip diffie is far the better course.

Autozone will read your check engine light codes for free. Your best bet for service, since Chevy isn't too hot is Toyota. After all they made the bugger. Good luck. Hope it works. Ken

[Xarnette15]

Thanks for the tip Ken. I will give it a go when I return home today. I appreciate it.

I was fairly nervous to drive the car from Hartford to Pittsburgh not knowing what condition my VCS was in b/c the forcast called for very heavy rain.

Not to mention I had only spent a couple of hours driving a GS before making the 8 hr trip. And 1 year not driving at all prior. I believe the system is working though b/c we did run through some very very heavy rain for extended periods and I had no problem keeping up with my girl in her all wheel drive Trailblazer SS @ 70-80 mph.

I was expecting some scary moments but the Lex really held up well. I was also just real paranoid. If anyone knows Pittsburgh hills/streets I hate having this car here. Cant wait to get it back to New England.

I will post once I give your method a try & hopefully get some pics by the weekend.

Thanks again

[sakataj]

Ken

well well, someone from my hometown.... B)

and someone from my old hometown (the OP) well close to my old home town in Erie, Pa.

its possible your speed sensor is fubared.....

check out this page for a easy DIY fix http://www.projectgs.com/DIY/SuspBrake/ABSVSC/index.htm

btw.....u cant pull a code for a VSC light as far as i know....just the CEL lights....

[Xarnette15]

Sweet Link Sakataj...(brian right?) I will try pulling the fuses & if that produces no positive results looks like I'll focus on the link.

Be easy on me b/c I am a novice, but aside from having the codes ran what would be the best way to find which sensor is fubar?

Just pull the tires and look for frayed / broken wire? Sorry if that seems like a foolish question, but like I said, just got the car a few days ago.

Good looks fellas.

you gotta know bout these Pittsburgh streets then........F.U.B.A.R was made to describe them

[sakataj]

Sweet Link Sakataj...(brian right?) I will try pulling the fuses & if that produces no positive results looks like I'll focus on the link.

Be easy on me b/c I am a novice, but aside from having the codes ran what would be the best way to find which sensor is fubar?

Just pull the tires and look for frayed / broken wire? Sorry if that seems like a foolish question, but like I said, just got the car a few days ago.

Good looks fellas.

you gotta know bout these Pittsburgh streets then........F.U.B.A.R was made to describe them

yes it's brian ;)

if its that wire....it coulda come from he changed the aftermarket wheels (unlikely though) maybe he also had aftermarket suspension and thats where he did it....maybe a chunk or piece of garbage on the street hit the wire under the car?????? who knows.

and we r all novices until we start doing it u know....i learned from the sites ALOT. just try looking under the car and see if you notice a wire hanging or a ripped wire.

yeah i recall them roads being rough....like jerseys roads! good luck sir.... if not...

if u look at THIS post 1st pic u see is the speed sensor

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension...on-install.html

[Xarnette15]

Lexus Dealership in Pittsburgh thinks there is a short in the wiring harness running from my dash to the engine compartment causing my VSC/VSC OFF lights

He cant guarantee till they pull the dash but he believes it is one wire shorting out which would have to be repaired.

He estimated $1,200.

He said worst case entire harness needs to be replaced. Estimated $4,400.

I asked if the short was causing just the VSC /VSC OFF light to be on, or was there actually a problem with the system. He said if the lights on something’s wrong.

I have this car under warranty @ the Chevy dealership i bought it from in NYC. They said he would have to send it to their lexus guys, no idea on repair time.

Thoughts?

[sakataj]

Lexus Dealership in Pittsburgh thinks there is a short in the wiring harness running from my dash to the engine compartment causing my VSC/VSC OFF lights

He cant guarantee till they pull the dash but he believes it is one wire shorting out which would have to be repaired.

He estimated $1,200.

He said worst case entire harness needs to be replaced. Estimated $4,400.

I asked if the short was causing just the VSC /VSC OFF light to be on, or was there actually a problem with the system. He said if the lights on something’s wrong.

I have this car under warranty @ the Chevy dealership i bought it from in NYC. They said he would have to send it to their lexus guys, no idea on repair time.

Thoughts?

um i dunno did you even try looking at that DIY i sent you....?

start from there....make sure its not a short/rip/tear in there. as MOST of them are! i wouldn't pay ANYONE 1,200 or 4,400 for that....esp if its under a warranty. even if its not im not paying that

[Xarnette15]

I went through each wheel well. All wires appear to be intact and not torn/deteroirating.

Im having issues w. the dealership I bought the car from now. Claiming warranty only covers powertrain. Motor tranny, drive axel. I will have to read the fine print when I get to my copy.

The lex dealer here claims it is a wire in the harness that is shorted. I am not sure if it is impacting the system or just activating the light to come on. If i cant get the dealer i bought it from to fix it under warranty I will prolly leave it be until I have the audio replaced in my car. They are going to have to pull my dash anyway.

The dealer said that whoever pulled the previous owners radio and put the stock GPS back in may have crimped a wire or something. Does that sound reasonable?

Im trying to think of arguments to present the dealer to cover this.

I dont know what to do. Car looks/runs/drives like a dream though.

Regards

[sakataj]

I went through each wheel well. All wires appear to be intact and not torn/deteroirating.

Im having issues w. the dealership I bought the car from now. Claiming warranty only covers powertrain. Motor tranny, drive axel. I will have to read the fine print when I get to my copy.

The lex dealer here claims it is a wire in the harness that is shorted. I am not sure if it is impacting the system or just activating the light to come on. If i cant get the dealer i bought it from to fix it under warranty I will prolly leave it be until I have the audio replaced in my car. They are going to have to pull my dash anyway.

The dealer said that whoever pulled the previous owners radio and put the stock GPS back in may have crimped a wire or something. Does that sound reasonable?

Im trying to think of arguments to present the dealer to cover this.

I dont know what to do. Car looks/runs/drives like a dream though.

Regards

so u did this?

"Start by inspecting the wire for any physical breaks. Easy ones to find are external rips/cuts/tears in the outer rubber insulation. Tough ones to find are the internal breaks. For the internally broken wire, you will have to squeeze/bend around with your fingers on the wire to find where it is severed inside. It will be a pretty obvious flat spot on the wire if it was smashed by something (upside down sway bar =P). The third possibility will be a wire that is broken at the connector plug or the solder joints on the actual sensor."

u hook up a multimeter to the sensors to see if you getting right the ohms sir, well actually K Ohms but we

this is why i hate stealerships....they dont know !Removed!. its possible but not likely a stereo place crimped a wire that activated this BUT IF a stereo shop had done this....wouldn't it have been on from BEFORE you bought the car till present not when you get home it turns on? u need to talk to the dealer you got from and im serious when i say this....if they wont fix it, hire a attorney and stick it to them or return them the car. dont forget u need to do something before your "Warranty" expires

[Xarnette15]

Unfortunately I was not In NYC to pick the car up. The light was on when the car was viewed at the dealership. Also the navigation was not working. Because the previous owner had everything he had in it removed when they put the stock navi in they didnt hook it up correctly. These were all noted by my parents who were kind enough to go look at/test drive/ purchase the car. The dealer had a random service guy come out and he was able to some how get the VSC/VSC OFF light to go off and then the dealer fixed the navi. Now when my stepfather went to get the car He didnt believe the VSC/VSC off light was on...but to be honest Im not sure how credible that is, I dont know if that light was on or off when he drove away....I am willing to believe it was off. But all i know is that when I got to Connecticut from Pittsburgh 3 weeks after we bought the car, the light was on. The car had only been driven twice. Once on the ride from NYC to CT and once when my mother took it for a 2 mile test drive.

I talked to the random service guy who came out and somehow got that light off. He has no idea. Again I wasnt there my parents were. But a random Chevy service guy who has a little knowledge of lexus did something supposedly. When I spoke w. him on the phone he couldnt remember. Go figure.

I ran through the wires best i could. I found no visible defects and could not feel any flat spots, I was not able to use a multimeter.....I am in the process of working w. the dealership to cover this.

I will go through each wheel/wire again. See if there is something I missed. Ill keep ya posted. I may have to wage war on this Chevy dealer if they claim they will only cover my power train. I mean that wiring harness is like the backbone of the car correct?

Thanks for your replies man......I wish I had all your knowledge and knew exactly where/what to look for & test.

[sakataj]

Unfortunately I was not In NYC to pick the car up. The light was on when the car was viewed at the dealership. Also the navigation was not working. Because the previous owner had everything he had in it removed when they put the stock navi in they didnt hook it up correctly. These were all noted by my parents who were kind enough to go look at/test drive/ purchase the car. The dealer had a random service guy come out and he was able to some how get the VSC/VSC OFF light to go off and then the dealer fixed the navi. Now when my stepfather went to get the car He didnt believe the VSC/VSC off light was on...but to be honest Im not sure how credible that is, I dont know if that light was on or off when he drove away....I am willing to believe it was off. But all i know is that when I got to Connecticut from Pittsburgh 3 weeks after we bought the car, the light was on. The car had only been driven twice. Once on the ride from NYC to CT and once when my mother took it for a 2 mile test drive.

I talked to the random service guy who came out and somehow got that light off. He has no idea. Again I wasnt there my parents were. But a random Chevy service guy who has a little knowledge of lexus did something supposedly. When I spoke w. him on the phone he couldnt remember. Go figure.

I ran through the wires best i could. I found no visible defects and could not feel any flat spots, I was not able to use a multimeter.....I am in the process of working w. the dealership to cover this.

I will go through each wheel/wire again. See if there is something I missed. Ill keep ya posted. I may have to wage war on this Chevy dealer if they claim they will only cover my power train. I mean that wiring harness is like the backbone of the car correct?

Thanks for your replies man......I wish I had all your knowledge and knew exactly where/what to look for & test.

my "knowledge" just comes from me studying/reading/being active on the boards. sucks bout your VSC light man, they should do the right thing and fix it...but if not seriously get on the better business bureau's web page and file a complaint

http://www.bbb.org/

u have a oem nav they had unplugged and then rehooked up? did u get this sorted out yet....

[Xarnette15]

u have a oem nav they had unplugged and then rehooked up? did u get this sorted out yet....

Yeah the car came w. OEM nav / ML sound but the previous owner had all custom work done w. audio and his own head unit installed while he owned.

The nav when they reinstalled the OEM could not enter a destination when my parents first went to look at the car. This was fixed before the car left the lot and has worked fine since. The nav was brought up along w. the VSC light but like i said some random mechanic came out and somehow got the VSC light off for a moment. I spoke w. him directly and even he said he had no clue what he did....he was just the only person in the Chevy garage w. a little insight to lexus.

For sure...if they want to f**k around I will take legal action. They keep claiming that only the motor/tranny/master cylinder ABS is covered. But I will continue to fight this and request that they cover this major component on the car. Ill keep you updated.

Pics will come when I can afford a new camera!!!!

Regards

[sakataj]

u have a oem nav they had unplugged and then rehooked up? did u get this sorted out yet....

Yeah the car came w. OEM nav / ML sound but the previous owner had all custom work done w. audio and his own head unit installed while he owned.

The nav when they reinstalled the OEM could not enter a destination when my parents first went to look at the car. This was fixed before the car left the lot and has worked fine since. The nav was brought up along w. the VSC light but like i said some random mechanic came out and somehow got the VSC light off for a moment. I spoke w. him directly and even he said he had no clue what he did....he was just the only person in the Chevy garage w. a little insight to lexus.

For sure...if they want to f**k around I will take legal action. They keep claiming that only the motor/tranny/master cylinder ABS is covered. But I will continue to fight this and request that they cover this major component on the car. Ill keep you updated.

Pics will come when I can afford a new camera!!!!

Regards

i hope u learned your lesson bout buying a Lexus from a chevy dealer! my next one will be a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned Lexus)

[coolc7116]

Actually the same exact thing just happened to me today. I have a '03 GS300, 88k miles and my VSC lights came on.

I had the timing belts and spark plugs changed yesterday and on my way home from the dealer, the VSC and check engine lights came on. They've never come on before.

I took it straight back to the dealer and they claimed it was an O2 sensor. They changed the O2 sensor and didnt charge me any labor. And on my way home, it went off again.

Based on the earlier posts, I'm thinking that it's an electrical problem. I'm paranoid that if I take it back, they'll say it was another O2 sensor or maybe the speed sensor, or maybe the harness. Between the timing belt, spark plugs, and the O2 sensor, I've already spent $1200.

It has to be something that they did when they changed the belt and the plugs, because the lights have never come on before.

Does anybody else have any suggestions?

[Xarnette15]

When you had your codes ran was it by a Lexus dealer? I would tell them ASAP that the o2 sensor did not resolve the problem. It is my understanding that this could be related to a number of things, some of which you stated. Good Luck w. it.

For my problem they had to do "extensive diagnostic work" because there were so many codes they had to find out what was causing what blah blah blah. Eventually they came to the assumption it was a shorted wire in the wiring harness, but they could not be certain because I did not give them the OK to open up my dash for further diagnostics.

How would a wire in that harness just short out? is it possible? I suppose anything is. Is it common? Would it be reasonable to deduct that when whoever put the OEM nav in the car could have caused the short? This is just MY assumption, I am curious if any of you might believe this could be true.

How else would it just short? I am still in the works w. the Chevy Dealer in long island to cover this while the car is still under the 3K mile/ 60 day warranty.

On a better note...finally have some pics...check out my door pannels in the new post....

Thanks

[coolc7116]

I used to have an ES where the check engine and VSC lights went off and it was because of the O2 sensor also. Does the VSC truly not work when an O2 sensor is out? The O2 sensor shouldnt have to do with the traction control. Or is the computer just programmed to display these lights whenever an O2 sensor is out?

[sakataj]

When you had your codes ran was it by a Lexus dealer? I would tell them ASAP that the o2 sensor did not resolve the problem. It is my understanding that this could be related to a number of things, some of which you stated. Good Luck w. it.

For my problem they had to do "extensive diagnostic work" because there were so many codes they had to find out what was causing what blah blah blah. Eventually they came to the assumption it was a shorted wire in the wiring harness, but they could not be certain because I did not give them the OK to open up my dash for further diagnostics.

How would a wire in that harness just short out? is it possible? I suppose anything is. Is it common? Would it be reasonable to deduct that when whoever put the OEM nav in the car could have caused the short? This is just MY assumption, I am curious if any of you might believe this could be true.

How else would it just short? I am still in the works w. the Chevy Dealer in long island to cover this while the car is still under the 3K mile/ 60 day warranty.

On a better note...finally have some pics...check out my door pannels in the new post....

Thanks

um after looking at your door panels i would almost say he crimped a wire inside the dash probably when he was either installing or removing that wacky system....btw i know you didnt build the panel but why do u need a lexus symbol inside the car on the door panel?

I used to have an ES where the check engine and VSC lights went off and it was because of the O2 sensor also. Does the VSC truly not work when an O2 sensor is out? The O2 sensor shouldnt have to do with the traction control. Or is the computer just programmed to display these lights whenever an O2 sensor is out?

um that would be a negative sir....your o2 light and vsc light wont happen together unless you got problems with both. the comp isnt programmed to display that when an o2 is out

[sakataj]

Actually the same exact thing just happened to me today. I have a '03 GS300, 88k miles and my VSC lights came on.

I had the timing belts and spark plugs changed yesterday and on my way home from the dealer, the VSC and check engine lights came on. They've never come on before.

I took it straight back to the dealer and they claimed it was an O2 sensor. They changed the O2 sensor and didnt charge me any labor. And on my way home, it went off again.

Based on the earlier posts, I'm thinking that it's an electrical problem. I'm paranoid that if I take it back, they'll say it was another O2 sensor or maybe the speed sensor, or maybe the harness. Between the timing belt, spark plugs, and the O2 sensor, I've already spent $1200.

It has to be something that they did when they changed the belt and the plugs, because the lights have never come on before.

Does anybody else have any suggestions?

try looking at the DIY and see if you can fix it YOURSELF sir....or start from there.....and btw the o2 sensor wont cause the vsc light on....

[Xarnette15]

Like ya said, I didnt build them or have them built, just came w. the car.

So you think its a possibility? Im curious if maybe the wire may become 'un-crimped' when I have them pull my dash/doors for the new audio?

Im hoping anyway. Not sure if thats even possible, but hoping.

[sakataj]

Like ya said, I didnt build them or have them built, just came w. the car.

So you think its a possibility? Im curious if maybe the wire may become 'un-crimped' when I have them pull my dash/doors for the new audio?

Im hoping anyway. Not sure if thats even possible, but hoping.

i know....

i think its more than a possibility, i think its almost for sure if you followed the diy and ruled a connection out... (like if your getting continuity through the wire)

i think they might have pierced/ripped/tore a wire when they did the first install

[Xarnette15]

Like ya said, I didnt build them or have them built, just came w. the car.

So you think its a possibility? Im curious if maybe the wire may become 'un-crimped' when I have them pull my dash/doors for the new audio?

Im hoping anyway. Not sure if thats even possible, but hoping.

i know....

i think its more than a possibility, i think its almost for sure if you followed the diy and ruled a connection out... (like if your getting continuity through the wire)

i think they might have pierced/ripped/tore a wire when they did the first install

Maybe the Gods will smile & when I have the audio work done some revelation will present itself.