rtk126

CHECK VSC, ABS, TRAC - NO CEL:

Guys, I need your thoughts on this. I have an 06' IS350 (Navi, 18" OEM Wheels, No ML, etc). Anyway, for a few months now and very intermittently (1 or maybe 2 times a month) I will get a set of warning lights as shown below. This includes Check VSC, ABS, TRAC, and BRAKE (CRUISE was already on in this pic).



I have had this happen in all sorts of configurations such as headlights on/off, cruise on/off, stereo on/off, A/C on/off, etc. The only thing common about these occurrences is that it always seems to happen either on the highway or right after getting off the highway. When it happens, I don't notice any degraded engine performance at all.

During the most recent episode, I pulled in to a parking lot to test if indeed I had no ABS or TRAC. I did a quick acceleration followed by a stomp on the brakes. I notice I was able to squeal the tires in the back easily and then during the very hard stop I noticed no ABS feedback whatsoever.

After every instance of this weird problem, everything goes away if I turn the car off and back on again. I am familiar with the gas cap issues (which do give a CEL), but I strongly feel this is something else.

I have no idea how to address this and would really appreciate some thoughts/advice if anyone knows anything at all.

Thanks!

Chris06IS

iTrader: (4)

I think it can be from different things but I had the same thing going on with my IS250 and finally brought it to the stealership and they said it was a bad/faulty brake sensor of some type luckily it was only $150 out the door and it has not come on since.

06isDriver

have you messed with your intake recently?

rtk126

Chris06IS - Thanks for that idea...do you have any specifics on what part they looked at/replaces in your car?

06isDriver - Funny you mention that, I just installed the Joe-Z Intake Pipe (awesome sound) last night. However, this has been on going for some time now. Are you suggesting I should expect more errors with modified intake?

Thanks for the help.

rtk126

Side note - please keep me posted on the results of your air conditioned intake. Very curious as to how you are going about that.

06isDriver

I dont know what to make of your situation, but I do know that I once tried to start my car without the maf sensor hooked up. It tried to start then died. I immediately realized my problem and reconnected the maf sensor. Next startup, it died. The one after that it started and ran but the EXACT same condition where the vsc traction and abs lights were but no CEL.

I called lexus right away thinking i had reallly fubared the whole thing, but they didnt know what the issue was. Eventually it went away.

I've had the cel lights come on with all the other vsc things as well but those are easily readable and cleared. I never did know what to make of the abs thing.

One more thing...when the vsc and abs lights were on (no cel) it wouldnt go full throttle, it would barely go half throttle.

This has only happened once where it wasnt accompanied by a CEL and never again.

ExTrEmE99

iTrader: (6)

Did you recently change your suspension? Perhaps you forgot to plug the ABS sensor back into its socket.

rtk126

The only work I have done in that area is painting the calipers. During that job, I removed the calipers from the rotors and hung them from the springs with wire clothes hangers (to ensure no pulling on brake fluid lines). Is it possible I could have disconnected or loosened the ABS sensor then? I don't know exactly where that connection is, that is why I am asking.

Thanks.

ExTrEmE99

iTrader: (6)

Yes you could've pulled it on accident or disconnected it.Check the passenger side(?) and see if the wire is hanging off or not properly seated in its connector.

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

im not quite sure, but since your an 06 it might be time to replace your car battery. i know when my car battery died, after jumping it, the same sets of cel lights would come on. all it took was for me to reset the ecu to get rid of the lights.

Chris06IS

iTrader: (4)

The description on my invoice for the part is vague but it says 206E4 switch assembly part number 84340-47020 hope it helps!

Lexus@17

iTrader: (3)

its probably your cable battery and the same thing occur to mine as well and i also have a 06 is350 but without nav.
bc recently like a week ago. my car who light went on and it was turning on and off while driving on the freeway and when i exited the whole car shut off on me. so i was stuck on the side with no power. i open my hood and it was my battery, the cable had fallen off.
so check your battery cable and tighten it up.

javyLSU

iTrader: (21)

I'm 99% sure you have a disconnected speed sensor. Look at the inside of the center of the hub, near the steering knuckle. There's a harness that should be plugged in - if it isn't, or any of the wires are disconnected you'll get ABS, TRAC, Check VSC and more. That's the first place I would look.

Javier

sveinongen

iTrader: (1)

One thing I know for sure is that, the car runs a self diagnostic test one time every hour, if it dont find anything it will switch the ligts off again,

The light came on my car too when I had bought a tuning chip and was testing it out, all the lights came on in my dash and the engine died out, had to wait 2 minutes before the car would start again and the lights where still on, then i called the tuning company and they told me tha nothing was wrong and the light would go off after one hour.

rtk126

Thanks guys for all the advice. I am going to try and troubleshoot this issue over the weekend using your suggestions. I will let you know what I find if it is useful.

While I do not doubt any of the ideas here, I am a little bit skeptical for two reasons:

1.) It is a very intermittent. I feel like if one of the speed/abs sensors was disconnected it would happen all the time. Nonetheless, I plan on checking all of the connections.

2.) When I do get this problem, I notice absolutely nothing as far as reduced engine performance or the car shutting off or going into limp mode.

I will keep you posted once I get to work on the car this weakened.

Thanks again!