If the ESC light stays on, it means that your vehicle is not under control. And if the ESC light stays on for an extended period of time, your ESC may be malfunctioning, or the system has been manually disabled. Of course, if the ESC light comes on, you can still drive your car. All major car manufacturers offer some form of ESC; these systems can be found in cars, trucks, SUVs and even motorhomes.
The second most common problem that triggers the stability control light is a faulty steering angle sensor. You can search by vehicle year and make, to see a list of models that have ESC as a standard or optional feature, as well as which models do not have ESC as an option at all. In short, ESC is supposed to help keep the vehicle moving in the same direction the driver wants to go. If the ESC system determines that a vehicle is not responding correctly to steering, it is able to take corrective action.
If your vehicle is still under warranty, take your car to the dealer to have the ESC problem properly diagnosed. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) may also be referred to as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) or Dynamic Stability Control (DSC). The quickest way to find out why the stability control light is on is to use a diagnostic scanner to read the codes from the stability and ABS modules. Under normal operating conditions, the ESC light should only come on when you start the car for a couple of seconds and then turn it off.
The ESC may also come on when using a spare tyre with a different diameter to the rest of the car's tyres. Since electronic stability control is essentially an extension of ABS and TCS, it is normally safe to drive a vehicle that has a malfunctioning ESC. If you notice the DSP, ESP or ESC light coming on, it is a good idea to have it checked by a qualified mechanic. If the stability control light is constantly on, it means that the system is either disabled or not working properly.
Systems such as traction control and anti-lock brakes help us maintain control during acceleration and braking, but electronic stability control (ESC) is designed to prevent you from losing control in other circumstances. If the ESC light flashes when driving typically, it means the system is activated and is trying to keep the vehicle under control. The reduction in fatal single-vehicle rollovers is the most dramatic, and drivers with ESC are 75% more likely to survive such accidents than drivers without ESC.
