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Service Traction and ESC

469K views 152 replies 68 participants last post by  DrivenDaily 
#1 ·
Once in a while, I get the message to service traction and ESC. Now the wrinkle to all of this is that, if I turn the car off and restart, it goes away. Anyone have this issue? It has happened a few times now and is never there when I restart the next time.

Thanks.
 
#36 ·
I would not bet on anything related to EPS. Thinking is not an answer. To replace motor, it apparently involves disassembly of steering shaft. The motor, armature and stator, should be extremely reliable unless poorly designed by GM. There are extremely old electric motors still in operation and many only replaced for higher efficiency. It would be much more likely that it is the controller box. Much cheaper part, but requires nulling/zeroing system. That is required anytime an alignment is done, per GM.
 
#39 ·
Randomly my engine feels like it bucks or hesitates while shifting, just feels slightly erratic and then the ESC and Traction warning lights come on. I have had the car stall a couple times while coming to a stop. I believe there may be an engine misfire that is causing it. Haven't had time to scan for codes while it happens.
 
#40 ·
Do a search for your issue. I had that happen on my '11 V6. Had to drive like it was a 3-cylinder most of the way home. Cleared up the next day. Might have been fretting corrosion on the BCM terminals or some other low-voltage connection(s).
 
#43 ·
alittlepunctuationwouldgoalongway

A little punctuation would go a long way.

Did you mean the ABS/Traction light came on the steering wheel and you were spinning out of control? Oh, no, you meant the light came on, and the steering wheel was spinning out of control.

You also seem to indicate that you lost power steering , the car is not drivable, and the car is still at the dealership because they don't know what's wrong.

Will they ever discover the reason or was it left there because they can't figure out how to fix it, and you just decided to give them a toy?
 
#46 ·
I has my Service ESC light come on last night. Looked at the owner's manual, it said to just restart the car. The wife took the car later on the in the evening, when she tried restarting the car the light was still on. This morning I decided to go check and as soon as I put it in gear it turned on.

Car is currently at dealer, will see what they think the issue is.
 
#47 ·
They told me it was a code C0710, a problem with the steering wheel position sensor. They were unable to replicate and just clear the code.
 
#49 · (Edited)
The brake computer sets that code when it gets nonsensical input from the SWP sensor. Could be the sensor itself or an issue in the wiring harness. The sensor is not hard to swap out but it may fix nothing to do so.

Without good input from that sensor the brake computer disables traction Control & ESC for the remainder of the drive cycle.

Cadillac had this problem for awhile & that turned out to be due to fretting corrosion in the sensor connector IIRC.
 
#57 ·
Good counsel from BillD64 and greenman!

Linda_B, if you don't have a Malibu is there any particular reason you're posting here?
 
#60 ·
Interesting that you find yourself faultless after so many years of owning and driving cars and all the work you've done. I assure you that I honestly believe you to be a truly intelligent person. Where I find the fault is that you didn't do your homework for yourself.

With all your experience in life you are almost assuredly aware that lawyers and car salesmen (or women) rate the lowest on the list of trustworthy people. That said, a few simple questions and/or a simple "No" would have stopped or slowed the salesperson's requirement to buy A to get B. That is where we all see that you failed yourself. The salesperson simply took advantage of you and laughed all the way to the bank.

Is the HHR the current normal? I sure hope not! This is my first new car in my life. (I know I owned an '09 but it was sold as "new" with 1252 miles, scratches, and rust showing. It was signed for before delivery from out-of-state, after which I learned my lesson.)

I sincerely hope you can reach an amicable resolution on your issues. You're welcome to share here, but also please realize that since this is a public forum you're gonna get all sorts of folks replying, and that means a lot of scrutiny on what you post.
 
#62 ·
Consternation here because I wasn't clear. It WASN'T the salesperson. He has been a top sales guy for years for very good reason and has many return customers. I take your feedback on me not doing research on warranties and won't get taken twice. It was the finance department, and now that you mention it I went back about a year ago with someone else to look at a car. All went well until it got handed to the finance dept then we got up and left. I won't go into it, but it was so bad that the sales guy couldn't help rolling his eyes as we were walking along sharing some of it with him. You are likely right in me getting taken in being forced into a warranty. Even with the deductible on repairs, it may end up being worth it because there have been 3 different issues already.

The salesperson was recommended to me years ago from someone who had bought 3 cars from him. I've bought 2 from him, and I took my boss there from Cincinnati and he sold a car to my boss.

I've always liked the Chevy's and only went to the foreign models for fuel economy. Also I like the GMAC financing. They provide a lot of info online and their site is easy to use. Then I learned you get a discount on auto insurance as well so carry that through them too. I guess it all balances out. Now you've talked me around and caused me to realize that overall Chevy has provided me good cars and great service.

Thanks;-)
 
#64 ·
Dang, girl, sorry to hear that! If you decide to keep the rig you might look into getting an aftermarket remote start. Their fobs usually last a lot longer, some use AAA batteries that are easy to change, and the 2-way versions usually reach a long, long way.
 
#65 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am glad I found this thread. Wow has this been an issue for me. Where to start.

I have a 2009 Malibu LT1 w/6 speed transmission.

1 year ago this month, I began to get Service Traction/ESC errors on my dash. Those errors would show up after the car started losing power. It would feel like it was chugging a long, and sometimes it would feel like it was about to quit. I called my local dealer and of course they asked me to bring it in. That was with 35,500 miles on the car.

It took them two weeks to get the part in. Oddly enough, my call around to other local GM dealers found that they hard the part in stock. Frustrating that I had to wait so long.

During that two week wait for the part, my car was a safety issue. The car would continue to lose power, and by the end of the first week of waiting, the car would stall at lights. I contacted them again and said this is now becoming dangerous, and I am losing power when attempting to pull onto on-ramps. The Chevrolet dealership (Stark Automotive Sun Prairie WI) was not the least bit concerned about the safety issues I was experiencing, and would not offer to excel the part location or offer a loaner.

The part finally came in (I will get you the part information later today), but it was an issue with a wiring harness and a control module that was replaced.

They replaced the part, and my car was running fine. UNTIL this month again. One year later, I am getting the same error messages, same loss of power, an exact replication of what I had fixed a year ago. Well, last year when they replaced the parts under warranty, they said there is a 1 year warranty for the replaced parts. Whew. So I called and told them I have the same issue as last year.

Well, they take the car in, and do all their tests. They said it is NOT related to the issues that I had last year, but is in fact in need of a Electric Power Steering Control Module, which affects the ECM and Stability Control. Cost to me to replace, $1000.00. I nearly $#$%, my pants. Well, no matter what, I NEED a car, and I agreed to get it fixed again at the dealer.

Dealer called me, told me the car is fixed and did test drives, and it is ready to go. I picked up the car, drove 5 miles, and there comes all the same problems again. I called them RIGHT AWAY...said I JUST LEFT your dealership and I am having the same problems.

I set up ANOTHER appointment. They run tests again. Oh guess what, the problem now is the problem I had LAST YEAR, as I had mentioned the first time. They said "we will do you a favor and replace that warranty part you had done last year at no charge". Excuse me? It was under a one year warranty, and my warranty wasn't even up. Favor? Get real. So now I am out $1000.00 on a BRAND NEW $26k Malibu that I bought so that I didn't have to worry about expensive repairs vs. buying a used car. I am guessing that the Electric Power Steering Control Module wasn't an issue at all. And if it was, it was probably and issue a year ago when I first had these problems.

Here is the next problem. While my car was in getting that $1000.00 repair job, I said "I need an oil change while it's here. How much is your oil change and rotation?". They replied "$49.99". I said "ah, that is way expensive. I can get both the tire rotation and oil change for $17.99 at Goodyear with our business discount. So, I will pass on the oil change". Well, when I picked up the car, they charged me for the $49.99 service. Boy was I steaming. I said "I told you I DID NOT WANT it because you charge TOO MUCH". The service adviser said "no, you said you wanted it". I looked over at the service adviser next to him, who was there when I said I did NOT want it, and that service adviser said to the other adviser "Yes, he did tell you that he didn't want it".

That right there should have been, oh, sorry about that, no charge and our fault. NOPE. The next line out of his mouth was "well, our initial estimate was for $975 for the repair, but it actually came to $950, so we actually charged you less than what you were expecting, so it's really like you got a free oil change. SERIOUS? To top it off, they REFUSED to remove it, BUT they honored the pricing that I would have received at Goodyear.

Horrible horrible business practice here. And I was considering a 2013 Malibu to replace this one, but now I hesitate, if this is how all the Chevrolet dealers operate.
 
#66 ·
Horrible horrible business practice here. And I was considering a 2013 Malibu to replace this one, but now I hesitate, if this is how all the Chevrolet dealers operate.
I hope there is another Chevy dealer, or maybe any other GM dealer in your area, you should NEVER go back to that dealer. Contact Chevrolet Customer Service, tell them your story, they may be able to help. I once had GM replace a transmission in my 6 year old Pontiac van with 40,000 miles on it free of charge. I had called Customer Service, told them that the van only had 40k miles on it and I was surprise that the tranny went out this early. I was just trying to get them to maybe pay for half but they covered it all. :eek:
 
#68 ·
Dude, when they don't have your signature on a service order PLUS another service advisor who backs your story, that's when you demand satisfaction. It's water under the bridge with the dealer now, but call GM CS and get some action started. That is not just horrible business practice, it's likely illegal!

Don't accept that kind of treatment from any shop, ever, anywhere!
 
#70 ·
It's your place to make that decision because once you start that dance you're the one who'll be out on the dance floor. Were it me I'd call. It's a lot easier for me to describe what's going on and usually a lot faster. It's just that under Federal guidelines your rights might not be preserved when using the phone. So it'd be a place to start so you'll know how to direct the rest of your efforts.
 
#73 ·
Yay so about a month later my Service ESC light came on several times today. Looks like I get to wake up early on my first day of vacation to make another visit to my dealer. How much you want to bet they get the same error C0710, a problem with the steering wheel position and will just clear it.

Hoping that this will not be an ongoing issue, but will certailny keep you folks update how it goes tomorrow.
 
#74 ·
Wait, the V6 has a steering wheel position sensor as well? I thought only the I4 had it as part of the EPS. I guess it'd make sense so the ECS knows where you've turned the wheel. Hmmm, never thought about it 'til now.
 
#75 ·
I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but asked the service guy and he said that it was the sensor that would know which way you were trying to steer if in a skif and its trying to correct. So I think its just a part os esc on any vehicle.
 
#76 ·
Went to dealer this morning and the latest is that the car was throwing up the same error. They are ordering a Steering Angel Sensor (5 business days from US). Apparently its a bit of a job cause they will have to remove the steering colulm but will be glad if that's the fix and I don't have to make monthly visits. Will keep you all posted. Merry Christmas.
 
#78 ·
I just wanted to follow up on my car and dealership complaint. A big thank you goes out to Michelle Renee, the local Chevrolet/GM representative that posts here on the forums. She listened to my complaint and story, and she escalated the complaint to GM. GM contacted my dealer. The dealer agreed to reimburse me for $431 of the $950 charge (refund labor) because of all the issues I have had with the dealership.

Thank you again Michelle. Between you and Sky (the GM representative), you have made me a happier Chevrolet owner once again.
 
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