You’re driving along the road on a beautiful day and feeling the comfort of your ride when the letters ESP BAS suddenly pop up right in front of your face! If you’re unfamiliar with the significance of these warning lights, you must be intrigued enough to know about them, right?
Sadly, most drivers are clueless about the ESP BAS light. That’s why people often make errors in responding promptly after detecting the ESP BAS warning lights.
Whenever your car has the ESP BAS light, you need to understand what it means and what it’s telling you when it appears on your dashboard. Since not every automobile has these features, it’s essential to know what they represent.
In this article, We’ll be examining what this warning light is, what triggers them to occur, and what to do to resolve this occurrence.
Table of Contents
What Are ESP and BAS Systems?
The term ESP refers to an Electronic Stability Program. This is frequently known as the Electronic Stability Control in various automobiles. Others will refer to it as Dynamic Stability Control. However, whatever they like to call it, they’re all synonymous.
It’s a computer-controlled system that’s meant to improve the stability of your car by recognizing a lack of traction and assisting you to rise back in it to maintain optimum control of your car and possibly hazardous situations. Whenever your electronic stability program senses a loss of traction, it immediately activates your brakes to enable you to steer your car more effectively.
Separate brakes are provided to each wheel to prevent excessive steering in slippery circumstances like icy or wet roads. Depending on the kind of your car, this stability control system will also lower your engine’s power to keep you stable on track.
On the other hand, BAS stands for Brake Assist System, also known as the brake assist program. It is a system that increases the pressure on the brakes while attempting to stop immediately. For instance, you instinctively slam your brakes whenever you’re avoiding a crash. The brake assist program is capable of detecting the intensity with which you’re braking, as well as the speed and power with which you’re pushing the brake pedal to alert you to a potentially dangerous situation.
When it senses that you are attempting to avoid a collision, it will bypass your brakes and provide maximum pressure for you till your anti-lock brake system (ABS) prevents your tires from locking up. Whenever the ESP BAS light is illuminated, it indicates that the ESP and BAS systems are activated and working—the same also applies with the ABS light.
However, if your ESP BAS light is staying on, it might indicate some issues with your car that needs to be addressed.
Common Causes Why ESP BAS Light Is On
The ESP BAS Light is an indication of an underlying problem with your car’s electronic stability program or the brake assist system (ESP BAS System). This light functions similarly to the other warning lights on your dashboard, notifying you of an issue.
The light is activated in response to various problems, varying from minor to severe. As with any other significant car issue, you’ll desire to get a readout of the diagnostic trouble codes. You may either use a quality code scanner or bring it to a nearby auto repair shop and have it scanned for you.
Faulty Steering Angle Sensor
Modern automobiles have updated technology and a variety of installed sensors. As a consequence, many automobile models confront an array of challenges.
A faulty steering angle sensor is a typical cause of the ESP BAS light illuminating. The steering angle sensor’s function is to aid your car’s steering wheel in operating in unison with your wheels or tires on the ground. A steering wheel sensor verifies that the wheels of your vehicle are rotating in the proper orientation.
The steering angle sensor is located within a steering rack. This sensor could lose contact whenever an issue occurs, and the ESP BAS light on your dashboard will begin to flash. When the light is switched on, this may occur due to the sensor being disengaged.
On the other hand, if the light goes out, it indicates that the sensor’s contact has been re-engaged.
Solution
- Taking care of this sensor for this specific issue is a simple matter. To begin, use an ohm-meter to examine the sensor’s connections. A good reading indicates that the sensor is in excellent condition. A bad reading signifies a faulty steering angle sensor, and you might need a professional’s hand to deal with such an issue.
- The steering angle sensor can be reset to shut off the ESP BAS light. Now, here’s how to do so; the procedure is straightforward. Turn your car’s steering wheel to the left direction two times and then to the right, also two times. Next, place the steering wheel back in the middle. This will ensure that the wheel faces forward. Eventually, your steering angle sensor will resume regular operation. Simultaneously, the ESP BAS light would switch off, allowing you to drive normally.
Failing Brake Switch
Anything as straightforward as a bad brake switch might be to blame for this issue. Brake switches are renowned for failing often. Despite the fact that carmakers say they are indestructible. There’s a strong probability that you may have to replace them from time to time.
A brake switch operates in a relatively easy manner. Once you press the brakes, this switch activates the rear brake lights. A brake switch is required for the system to function so that any vehicle behind you will recognize when you come to a complete stop. When your brake lights do not work, you are highly prone to get struck from the rear. As a result, it’s essential to check your brake switch or the lights regularly.
This sensor was designed for this reason; whenever it fails, it’ll alert you that it is due to replace it. That’s why your ESP BAS light is on, and you must address the problem immediately.
Solution
- Routine maintenance will help determine whether or not the brake switch is defective. It’s a simple procedure, considering you won’t need to dismantle any additional components or replace your brake switch sensor.
- To begin, use an OBDii scanner to get the diagnostic trouble codes and identify the problem. It is located just over the vehicle’s brake pedal. Disconnect the defective brake switch and replace it with a new one. Lastly, the code must be reset.
Bad Wheel Speed Sensor
Each wheel of your car features a speed sensor that monitors your speed. A wheel speed sensor is used in conjunction with the ESP BAS systems. Your wheels run at the proper speed due to your wheel speed sensors.
This assists the ESP BAS system in determining when you have lost traction. Traction loss could occur if you drive over icy surfaces, rocks, or other unstable terrains. When you drive on a particular terrain, your wheel speed sensors can detect unusual readings. The ESP system would engage and provide pressure to a specific wheel that has lost traction.
It will assist in restoring the car’s stability and keeping it on the right track. This operation will illuminate the ESP BAS light for a brief duration. After the disengagement, it should switch off and remain off. Whenever the light does not go off, it indicates that one of your wheel sensors could be malfunctioning.
Solution
- Replacing a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor isn’t difficult. Additionally, these components are inexpensive, so you won’t have to blow the budget. Therefore, change the sensors immediately. After replacement, verify that the ESP BAS light has been turned off.
Damaged Brake Components
Braking system components such as brake pads, calipers, and rotors have been observed to fail and illuminate the ESP BAS light. Calipers that have been frozen, in particular. Additionally, worn-out brake pads are a significant source of these disorders. Brake pads are reasonably inexpensive and widely available. Finally, there are the rotors.
Rotors are critical to the smooth running of your vehicle. The rotors are capable of lasting 30,000 miles without issue. However, they are aware that excessive heat will cause them to distort. Additionally, they may deteriorate and render your brakes inoperable. Thus, replacing them on time is a smart move.
Solution
- The most straightforward to resolve such an issue is to replace the damaged component asap to avoid further damage to your braking system.
Wiring Problems
Several wire connections are among your car’s various sensors and your ABS control module. The wire for the car’s ABS wheel speed sensors runs through the wheels, and these occasionally may become broken.
This is less prevalent in modern automobile models since the wiring is frequently well shielded, but it may still occur if you’re unfortunate. The disadvantage of wiring problems is that they may be very challenging to locate without understanding.
Solution
- Get your car an experienced auto-electrician to solve the issue, since wirings are very complex and can cause additional major problems if done with errors.
Driving With ESP BAS Light
Driving with ESP BAS light illuminated is dangerous and should be avoided. This problem must be fixed immediately to ensure your safety. It could be somewhat minor, or it could be something serious. The ESP system must operate well at all times since you hardly know when you will really need it.
A malfunctioning ESP system could result in a disaster. Traction is required to keep the automobile on the road. Once these sensors fail, you risk losing traction in sharp turns or on snow. No one knows what kind of road conditions you might encounter. You must constantly be ready for these occurrences.
Signs Of A Failing ESP BAS
You will not experience any indications of a failing ESP BAS system when driving normally. However, you might observe that they aren’t available to assist you in an urgent situation. The following are the most often seen signs and symptoms of an ESP BAS system failure.
- ESP BAS Light
- Traction Control Light
- ABS Light
How To Turn Off ESP BAS Light?
As shown above, turning off the ESP BAS light is more straightforward than turning off most other dashboard warning lights, unlike the check engine light. Once you’ve determined why your vehicle’s ESP BAS light is activated, you can move toward turning it off.
- Employ a code scanner to extract the vehicle’s primary computer’s fault codes or engine codes.
- Determine what is prompting the ESP BAS light to illuminate.
- Plan for the required repairs to your vehicle to turn off the ESP BAS light.
Usually, after an hour or two, you might be able to switch off an ESP BAS light. It isn’t something you should’ve to worry about excessively.
Conclusion
We suggest that you must not run your vehicle with the ESP BAS light switched on. You must ascertain the cause, either independently or via an appointment with a mechanic, and respond quickly. After reviewing this guide regarding the ESP BAS light, we hope that you now understand why it occurs and will perform the required actions to prevent future problems.
FAQS
Why does the ESP light illuminate when one wheel slips?
The car’s wheel sensors communicate the speed level of each wheel to your ABS. The ABS control unit monitors this information and executes the required corrections whenever one or more tires slide. When one ABS sensor malfunctions, the vehicle may believe that such a wheel is slipping when it is not, causing the light to illuminate.
Can I DIY an ESP BAS Light reset?
The ESP BAS light shows that your vehicle is experiencing technical difficulties, and resetting it by yourself is only recommended if you’re confident in your abilities.
