Q: Is it safe to drive 60 miles with the VSA and abs light engaged?

asked by on January 18, 2018

I am in round rock and i have my 6 month old daughter in the car with me. I live in Cameron TX which is about 65 miles away. My VSA light and abs light are on and staying on. Is safe to drive that far of distance and what is the next step in getting it fixed.

My car has 157412 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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The VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) and ABS (Anti-Lock Brake) systems generally controlled by some of the same components which may cause any issues with them to be related, which may explain why both lights are on. The ABS control module controls the activation of the ABS system based upon inputs from the ABS wheel sensors. When this module is not working properly you may notice it inadvertently activating the ABS system causing the brakes to lock up randomly or simply causing the ABS light to come on. In some cases it may not activate the system at all and may be related to inaccurate input data from the wheel sensors.

The traction control system monitors the steering and stability of the vehicle and engages when loss of traction has been detected. This is done by the use of electronic sensors at each of the four wheels that communicate with the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) regarding steering performance and stability in adverse weather conditions. The traction control system works by reducing engine speed and determining which wheel to apply brake pressure to in order to prevent the vehicle from sliding. The anti-lock braking system and the traction control system work together to maintain the stability of the vehicle. The computer uses this information received from electronic sensors regarding the rotational speed of each wheel, the horizontal motion of the vehicle, and the vertical motion of the vehicle to determine how to direct the traction control system or the anti-lock braking system to best control the vehicle when needed. When this warning indicator light comes on in the dashboard, this could be an indication of several issues such as faulty wheel speed sensors, a faulty steering angle sensor, a faulty rotational speed sensor or a problem with the steering rack. In some cases, the traction control system may simply need to be reprogrammed. In addition, when any of these symptoms are detected, some vehicles may go into limp mode rendering the vehicle unable to accelerate beyond about ~30mph. I would recommend having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

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