Vsc Question

[energie8]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and recently purchased a 2006 Lexus GS300 AWD last week. So my question for today is that when I was driving home the VSC and engine light came on. Then I took it back to the dealer and the owner was using some sort of hand held device and plugged it somewhere infront of the drivers seat and it lasted for about less than a minute and everything was gone.And when I drove it back home it never showed up again since(been 2weeks). So what exactly did he do to it? I looked in my manual and VSC is vehicle skid control, did he turn it off or? Thanks

[Duckman]

Hello energie8 and welcome to the Club!

The Check VSC light could be coming on for a few reasons. They have been discussed in this thread....check it out.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=58524

--Duckman

[1990LS400]

So what exactly did he do to it? I looked in my manual and VSC is vehicle skid control, did he turn it off or? Thanks

The guy performed a reset procedure and probably cleared whatever stored error codes were associated with the CEL and VSC warning lights on the dash ... odd that he didn't explain what he did since stored error codes associated with the CEL and VSC warning lights can indicate a serious problem that can eventually make a car undriveable or something as simple as a loose gas cap.

If you haven't had a car with VSC or a similar stability control system, you are going to be amazed at what VSC can do. Here is a video that explains how the Toyota VSC works: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/206114/689691

[energie8]

It couldnt be the gas cap issue because I pumped that day and it still showed up. So is there a way to find out if my VSC is on or off? like switches or anything? now when i start the car it just says check complete. Im just curious did he disable it? if he was to reset it will the lights come on again if whatever issue it was occur in the future? I've never owned a car with VSC before but from that video it amazes me.

[1990LS400]

It couldnt be the gas cap issue because I pumped that day and it still showed up. So is there a way to find out if my VSC is on or off? like switches or anything? now when i start the car it just says check complete. Im just curious did he disable it? if he was to reset it will the lights come on again if whatever issue it was occur in the future? I've never owned a car with VSC before but from that video it amazes me.

I'm pretty sure there is no menu option on the handheld scan tool to turn off VSC. I assume there is a switch on your console to temporarilly turn VSC off like there is on my LS. I'm not sure why anyone would want to turn off VSC with the switch unless it might make it easier to get a car unstuck from a snow drift ... e.g. VSC and Traction Control are linked.

Yes, the CEL and VSC Off warning lights will likely come on again if the problem repeats itself. A huge number of issues can cause the CEL and VSC Off warning lights to come on but it's not like these issues will happen often. In the six years I've owned my 00 LS400, the CEL light has come on only once when the TPS (throttle position sensor) started to fail. My VSC Off warning light has come on several times when a battery began to fail.

You can probably do a search and find a better explaination than I can provide. Your accelerator pedal is attached to a "PPS" (pedal position sensor). The "PPL" communicates electronically with the TPS and other components which actually open and close the thottle at the engine. The electronic link between PPS and TPS allows VSC to intervene and control the thottle should you start to lose control and go into a skid.

It's a wonderful technology and there has been discussion about requiring some form of stability control system on all cars sold in the U.S.

Take your car to a nice big empty parking lot (with no light standards) when you have some snow or ice. Drive your car hard in circles and figure eights to see how VSC intervenes to keep your car on your intended path. The VSC light on the dash will flash as it intervenes and when it gets really serious you will hear a beep-beep-beep alarm as VSC takes control of the throttle and selectively applies brakes at particular wheels. It's great fun!

[energie8]

It couldnt be the gas cap issue because I pumped that day and it still showed up. So is there a way to find out if my VSC is on or off? like switches or anything? now when i start the car it just says check complete. Im just curious did he disable it? if he was to reset it will the lights come on again if whatever issue it was occur in the future? I've never owned a car with VSC before but from that video it amazes me.

I'm pretty sure there is no menu option on the handheld scan tool to turn off VSC. I assume there is a switch on your console to temporarilly turn VSC off like there is on my LS. I'm not sure why anyone would want to turn off VSC with the switch unless it might make it easier to get a car unstuck from a snow drift ... e.g. VSC and Traction Control are linked.

Yes, the CEL and VSC Off warning lights will likely come on again if the problem repeats itself. A huge number of issues can cause the CEL and VSC Off warning lights to come on but it's not like these issues will happen often. In the six years I've owned my 00 LS400, the CEL light has come on only once when the TPS (throttle position sensor) started to fail. My VSC Off warning light has come on several times when a battery began to fail.

You can probably do a search and find a better explaination than I can provide. Your accellerator pedal is attached to a "PPS" (pedal position sensor). The "PPL" communicates electronically with the TPS and other components which actually open and close the thottle at the engine. The electronic link between PPS and TPS allows VSC to intervene and control the thottle should you start to lose control and go into a skid.

It's a wonderful technology and there has been discussion about requiring some form of stability control system on all cars sold in the U.S.

Take your car to a nice big empty parking lot (with no light standards) when you have some snow or ice. Drive your car hard in circles and figure eights to see how VSC intervenes to keep your car on your intended path. The VSC light on the dash will flash as it intervenes and when it gets really serious you will hear a beep-beep-beep alarm as VSC takes control of the throttle and selectively applies brakes at particular wheels. It's great fun!

Thank you for the detailed info. So my VSC is always on and active since I dont see any lights that say VSC off or anything on my gauge right? I was just worried because I dont see the VSC thing anymore. So the system is always on when you start the car? The guy didnt manually somehow turned it off when he plugged the device in?Will it say off if its off on my dash?

[energie8]

I was told that to turn off VSC you have to press the brake pedal and some other pedals repeatedly, is that true? You cant turn it off manually ie.with a swtich or button can you?

[Duckman]

It couldnt be the gas cap issue because I pumped that day and it still showed up. So is there a way to find out if my VSC is on or off? like switches or anything? now when i start the car it just says check complete. Im just curious did he disable it? if he was to reset it will the lights come on again if whatever issue it was occur in the future? I've never owned a car with VSC before but from that video it amazes me.

It may take a couple of days for the Check VSC light to turn off after you refuel. Mine did not immediately turn off, I noticed it off 1 or 2 days later. That being said, it very well could be a seal problem with your gas cap and you might need to replace it.

In the thread I posted above, steviej suggested to a person having the same issue, to take the car in to a repair shop, and have them give you the codes that they detect. This should pinpoint the reason the light is turning on.

--Duckman

[1990LS400]

I was told that to turn off VSC you have to press the brake pedal and some other pedals repeatedly, is that true? You cant turn it off manually ie.with a swtich or button can you?

Assuming that turning VSC off on your 06 GS300 is done the same way as on the current US spec GS350, look at page 25 of the attachment. It looks like the current VSC/Trac is a bit more sophisticated than mine in that Trac and VSC can be turned off independently.

You'll probably want to read your owners manual thoroughly -- you car there is a LOT of features.

GS350_When_Driving.pdf

[energie8]

I was told that to turn off VSC you have to press the brake pedal and some other pedals repeatedly, is that true? You cant turn it off manually ie.with a swtich or button can you?

Assuming that turning VSC off on your 06 GS300 is done the same way as on the current US spec GS350, look at page 25 of the attachment. It looks like the current VSC/Trac is a bit more sophisticated than mine in that Trac and VSC can be turned off independently.

You'll probably want to read your owners manual thoroughly -- you car there is a LOT of features.

Just checked out the pdf, but my gs300 doesn't have the button for VSC off, there is only button located near there which is sport and snow. :S

I"m assuming VSC is always on when I start the car, unless if it's off then it should show up on the dash no?

[1990LS400]

Just checked out the pdf, but my gs300 doesn't have the button for VSC off, there is only button located near there which is sport and snow. :S

I"m assuming VSC is always on when I start the car, unless if it's off then it should show up on the dash no?

It never ceases to amaze me how some features are included in cars sold in some markets and not in others. I can see in a photo in this Canadian Driver article that a 2006 GS300 AWD does not have a button to turn off VSC: http://www.canadiandriver.com/2006/03/10/t...-gs-300-awd.htm

Sounds odd but maybe there is something to the instructions you were given to "press the brake pedal and some other pedals repeatedly" to turn off VSC.

Another article on Canadian Driver, this one about the 2006 GS430, has a reference/complaint about not being able to turn off VSC: http://www.canadiandriver.com/2005/07/25/t...exus-gs-430.htm

Odd.