Communication With Engine Management
Via the data bus, the ESP control unit is able to communicate with the engine control unit. In this way, the engine torque can be reduced if the driver accelerates too much in certain driving situations. Similarly, it can compensate for excessive slip of the driven wheels provoked by the engine drag torque.
Failure In The Brake Switch
Every time you apply the brakes and your car slows down, the brake lights at the rear end of your car switch on. This is to inform the vehicles behind you that you have applied the brakes, and your car will slow down so that they can slow down as well or leave the lane behind your car.
The brake switch is an electrical switch in the braking system responsible for the switching on of the brake light. If your brake switch is faulty or has failed, it could cause untold danger, as vehicles behind you wont know youve applied brakes and, cause them to collide with your car.
Since there is no way to know if the brake light is working properly because of the location of the brake light, your car devised a way to let you know by switching on the ESP BAS light. So, any time the ESP BAS light comes on, it could be that your brake switch is faulty and your brake lights cant be switched on.
What Causes Esp Bas Light To Come On
As stated earlier, when a warning light comes on, it indicates an issue. Also, when the ESP BAS light comes on, it indicates a fault in the Electronic Stability Control or the Brake Assist System, or both systems.
These systems might be a minor issue that can be solved on your own if you own an OBD scanner. These faults are the causes of ESP BAS light coming on, and they are discussed below.
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Faulty Wheel Speed Sensor
Every wheel in your vehicle has a sensor that helps calculate the speed and translate them to the ESP/BAS systems. If the ESP and BAS sense that your wheels are running at different speeds, they correct the speed, ensuring that they all run at the same speed to enable you to have a grip on your car.
Without the wheel speed sensor, or when it is faulty, the ESP BAS light with the traction control light comes on to inform you of that fault. A faulty wheel speed sensor is not a fault you should maintain as it could cause disaster, especially on slippery pavements, but one that you should fix immediately if it is observed.
You Shouldn’t Turn The Esp Off
In many cars the traction control system or even the entire electronic stability program can be switched off. However, this feature should only be used in a few exceptional cases, as the ESP provides greater driving safety and prevents a large number of accidents.
Especially in winter, the TCS and the ESP have an important function, as they can prevent or reduce the breaking of the vehicle even on wet, snowy and slippery roads. Nevertheless, there are situations where a short-term deactivation of the system can be beneficial. An example for such a situation is driving on a snow-covered road in winter. The ESP can lower the engine power when the wheels are spinning. Therefore the vehicle can use the necessary momentum to drive or start driving in the snow and worst case you could get stuck in the snow.
Before you turn the ESP off, you should first do some tests on how driving without the stability program feels like. You should try this on a sloping, if possible wide, road where there is no danger of the car breaking out.
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Is Esp Important In A Car
ESP is important in a car. Its a proven safety device thats reassuring to have if youll be using your car to ferry about your family and loved ones. There are very rare examples when it doesnt make sense, though, for example, if youll purely use your car on track it could restrict its performance. As a general rule when driving on the road, there are many positives to having ESP on and no negatives.
Esp Lights: What You Need To Know
Imagine this: Youre driving down the road one day when you see a warning light pop up on your dashboard. But its not your check engine light, your oil light, your engine coolant light, or even your tire pressure light. Instead, its a light featuring a car with two squiggly lines underneath it. What in the world is it? This is called an ESP light, and its very important for car owners to know what ESP lights mean, why they might appear, and what they should do when they see them. People should not ignore ESP lights when they show up, especially when they turn on and dont turn back off. Continue reading to find out more about ESP lights.
Auto Repairs Are EXPENSIVE
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What Is An Esp Bas Light On A Car
I was driving the other day when a dashboard light that reads ESP BAS came on. Iâve never seen this light before, and itâs making me a bit stressed. What does the ESP BAS dashboard light on a car mean?
electronic stability program and brake assist systemtypical reasons for an ESP BAS
- Wiring problems that run to the anti-lock brake system
- Damaged brake components, such as the rotors, brake pads, or calipers
- Bad wheel speed sensor, which is used in unison with the braking and stability control systems
brake grinding, difficulty steering in adverse conditions, and delayed brakingsave an average of $800+
Issues With The Steering Angle Sensor
This is one of the most probable causes. There is a Steering Angle Sensor in your vehicle that is used by the electronic stability program. The sensor works in tandem with the wheels on your car.
It makes it possible for you to turn your car to the left or right simply by turning your steering wheel when youre driving.
The steering angle sensor in your car might fail at any time, which will generally result in the ESP BAS light on your dash coming on.
The ESP BAS light will stay on until you reset the steering angle sensor, allowing it to operate once again. Even if you dont have much knowledge of working on cars, this is a simple task.
To reset an ESP BAS light, move the steering wheel to the right two times, then left two times before returning it to the center so that your tires are facing forward.
This should hopefully restore your steering angle sensor and get it functioning correctly again. It should also turn off your ESP BAS light so you can go back to normal life.
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Do All Vehicles Have Esp
As we mentioned a moment ago, all cars do not have ESP. Youll find some older cars that were manufactured long before ESP became standard. But most of the cars out on the road today do have ESP, even if its called by a different name since its mandatory for cars made after 2012 to have ESP in the U.S. These days, many car manufacturers have started to rebrand ESP to make it look like its a feature thats unique to them. Volvo, for example, calls their ESP system Dynamic Stability & Traction Control , while Porsche refers to their ESP system as Porsche Stability Management . But no matter what name it goes by, ESP operates in the same basic way in all cars.
Is Traction Control The Same Thing As Esp
Traction control is not the same thing as ESP. It is usually controlled by your ESP but it serves a different purpose. Instead of stopping your car from sliding or spinning in corners, traction control is as its name implies designed to give your cars driven wheels more traction under power.
Say youre joining a roundabout quickly, you spot a gap in traffic and accelerate from a standstill to make it, only you do it too quickly, your engines power overawes the grip of the tyres, they spin and you go nowhere quickly.
Do the same thing with traction control activated and it will intervene, either by reducing engine power or by braking a spinning wheel to send the power to the wheel that does have grip the idea is to meter out power, making the most of the grip available. Its particularly effective on wet roads.
That said, there are times when traction control isnt so great particularly when you want your wheels to spin like if youre trying to dislodge the car from snow. Pressing the ESP button on most mainstream cars turns off the traction control not the ESP allowing your cars driven wheels to spin freely, giving you the momentum needed to break free.
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How To Turn Off An Esp Bas Light
As you can see, turning off this light is considerably easier than most other warning lights. You may work toward shutting down your ESP BAS light as soon as you figure out why its on in the first place. Follow these steps to turn off your ESP BAS light:
First, you need to find the cause of the light being on. As weve discussed, there are a variety of reasons why this may happen. Once youve determined the reason, you can take steps to fix the problem.
When the issue is something like a loose wire or frayed wire, you may be able to repair it on your own. If the problem is more serious, like a faulty sensor, you will likely need to take your car to a mechanic.
Story Of The Electronic Stability Program
Modern cars are equipped with numerous electronic safety aids. One of them is the electronic stability program that helps the driver gain better control of the car in extreme driving conditions. For the uninitiated enthusiasts, thats the beep and the ESP sign in the instrument cluster that alerts you after sliding your car on gravel. This critical safety feature is now ubiquitous across global car brands, and all of them have their own abbreviations for the same but the first brand ever to launch it was Mercedes-Benz in the 1995 S 600 Coupe.
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Since 2014 Every New Car In Europe Has Been Fitted With Electronic Stability Control But What Is Esc And What Is Esp For That Matter
Electronic Stability Control , also known as Electronic Stability Program , is a safety feature installed on all modern cars that you might not even be aware of. Its one of the best modern car safety features, because unlike airbags and seatbelts that are there to protect you in the event of a crash, ESC works quietly in the background to prevent loss of control that can lead to a collision in the first place.
Modern cars are much safer than they used to be, and research shows that ESC and ESP systems do help to keep motorists safe. UK statistics suggest that the chance of being involved in a fatal accident can be reduced by as much as 25 percent when driving a car equipped with ESP. Other studies show even more positive signs, with researchers in Sweden claiming that drivers of cars with ESP are 32 percent less likely to be involved in a fatal crash when driving in poor weather conditions.
Electronic Stability Control clearly works, which is why all new cars sold in Europe have been legally required to have the technology installed since 2014.
What Is Esc & Esp On Your Car
ESC and ESP is one of the best modern safety features since its introduction in 2014. They are a third dimension to ABS and TCS .
Some may think its as important as seat belts and airbags because it actually helps in preventing an accident to happen in the first place.
Research have shown that cars equipped with ESP or ESC reduce the chances of having an accident by 25%.
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How Does It Work
The ESP system uses a range of sensors to detect abnormalities and it works together with the anti-lock brakes and traction control system to keep the vehicle steady. One of the main functions of the technology is to monitor the actual movement of the car and compare it with the steering angle, determining the direction the driver is trying to steer towards. There are sensors on each wheel which measure the wheel speed and yaw-rate sensor registers the rotation of the vehicle around its vertical axis and measures the lateral acceleration. The ESP control unit compares this data around 25 times per second and reacts accordingly.
For example, if it detects a problem it will automatically reduce the engine power or if it recognises that the wheels are likely to lock up, it will activate the anti-lock brakes. The system applies individual brakes to counterbalance steering problems. For instance, if oversteer occurs it will apply the brake to the outer front wheel and, similarly, the brake is applied to the inner rear wheel to correct understeer.
How Does The Esp System Work
The ESP does not work alone. It works in conjunction with the traction control and the anti-locking brakes . Modern cars have an onboard computer that monitors most of the cars functions.
If one wheel slips, the ESP will control the other wheels by reducing power and applying brakings to correct your cars stability.
The ESP can also inform the cars engine to reduce power if your car is steering dangerously. This will then influence the power that is being supplied to individual wheels. This comes in handy when, for example, you keep revving the car on the icy ground, but there is no traction on the wheels. Power will be reduced hence, enabling you to have more grip on the wheel.
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What Does A Flashing Esp Light Mean
If the light is blinking, it means the car has detected at least of the wheel is slipping and it is doing its job by helping you stay on track. The ESP system is intervening. This is normal operation of the system. You are either trying to push the limit or are driving on very poor road conditions such as snow or ice. Try to drive more carefully next time you see the light start to flash. The ESP will try to keep you safe but it can not defy the laws of physics.
The Functions Of The Esp
The electronic stability program determines the driver’s steering movements and measures the lateral acceleration of the car. This data is collected by the sensors and then send to the ESP. If the data shows that the direction of travel and the angle of the steering do not match, then the skid protection intervenes. Thus, individual wheels are decelerated and the engine power is adjusted accordingly to stabilize the car again.
While the ESP decelarates the speed of the wheels, it also prevents the oversteering or understeering of the vehicle. An oversteer is when a vehicle breaks out over the rear wheels to the outside of the curve when the vehicle is turning too fast in a curve. In an understeer, however, the vehicle is pushed over the front wheels to the outer edge of the curve.
The ESP is linked to the electronic brake force distribution, anti-lock braking system and traction control in your car. A lead angle sensor measures where the driver is heading and sends that data to the computer. The yaw rate sensor records the rotational movements of the vehicle. A lateral acceleration sensor also measures whether the car is slipping sideways.
If the electronic stability program determines if the driver steers to the left, but the car breaks out to the right, then the system brakes the right front wheel. This way the car is kept in its lane.
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Electronic Stability Control Vs Traction Control
Some motorists incorrectly believe that the stability control system is either exactly the same as traction control or you can only have one or the other in a car. In reality, the vast majority of cars around include both electronic stability control and traction control.
Because of their respective roles, traction control is nowadays usually considered a secondary function of stability control. While traction control focuses on one specific goal, ESP manages numerous systems at once to help keep drivers safe behind the wheel during trickier driving situations.
What To Do If The Esp Light Comes On
If your ESP light illuminates, you need to check the trouble codes with an OBD2 scanner to see what is causing the ESP light to come on. Just guessing and replacing parts, which you think are faulty, will only cause you to waste all your money if you are lucky.
You can either check the trouble codes at a workshop or do it yourself at home with an OBD2 scanner.
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What Is The Issue With Your Vehicle
If the issue is not that you have turned the ESP system off, then the continuous or blinking light may indicate a minor or major issue with the vehicle. However, this may not be obvious from the outset so will need to be checked over by a mechanic just in case.
The most common issues arising from your ESP light coming on include the following:
Brake light switch ABS module Steering angle sensor
While most of these components are relatively inexpensive to replace , its worth making sure the system is working effectively as you will never know when it will be called into use. We would recommend getting it checked as soon as possible if you feel the light has been on for an extended period of time. If you need to get your Mercedes looked at or are due for a service, get a quote by filling in our simply form here.
Alternatively, for any other questions regarding your vehicle, scrapping a car or picking up replacement Mercedes parts, get in touch with our team.
