In order to keep your vehicle safe, you need traction controls but most importantly, you need to know how to turn off the StabiliTrak.
It is an example of these traction controls. The traction controls help in preventing the wheels of your vehicle from skidding or losing control when you are on the road.
It’s easy to lose control especially when the driver suddenly takes a dangerous turn or gets to the slippery ground.
It can also happen when the driver speeds up the vehicle too much while driving.
If you find yourself in any of these tricky situations, it is important that you turn off your StabiliTrak.
This is in order to reduce the power slowly to cope with the situation. It’s not just enough to turn it off, you need to do it properly.
In this article, we give you the guidelines on how to turn off the StabiliTrak properly so that you are able to adjust the trajectory of your vehicle accordingly.
What is StabiliTrak?
StabiliTrak refers to the official name that General Motors gave and patented for its Electronic Stability System, also known as ESC.
It is a standard feature in all General Motors vehicles that ensures your safety. It saves your wheels from slipping and ensures your vehicle maintains its trajectory.
You need to understand that while all electronic control systems fall under the traction control system category, the same can’t be said about traction control systems. They don’t fall under electronic stability control systems.
In this case, when one talks about traction control systems, they are simply referring to any system that will use a number of sensors to notify your vehicle that one of its wheels has started slipping.
It is when this happens that the anti-lock brakes are applied by your vehicle to the side with the slipping tire.
As a result, power is diverted to the side that’s still steady allowing it to keep the vehicle moving.
How to Turn off Stabiltrak on Ford:
For ford owners, here is the process you can use to turn off StabiliTrak on Ford. However, just keep in mind that it mostly depends on what type of Ford you own.
Here are the steps:
- Begin by pressing the traction control button. Once you’ve pressed it, release it immediately. This button is found on the steering wheel.
- Next, press the control button and hold it down for a while. Doing this will make it disable the traction control.
- Note that depending on the model of vehicle you have, you might have to go through the car’s menu to locate its traction control. In such a case, the steering wheel controls come in handy as they will help you find your way.
- Check the left part of your vehicle’s steering wheel, find the black arrow there then press it. The arrow will usually be pointing to the left side.
- After pressing it, scroll down once again using the down arrow until you locate the settings. Once you have found them, click OK in order to bring more options.
- From the options that come up, select the driver assist and keep in mind that you’re pressing the OK button again. Upon pressing it, you will notice the traction control right before you.
- This brings you to the very end of the process. Check the steering wheel again before pressing the OK button. You’re done!
As long as you follow the process above, you should be able to locate and use the traction control with ease. You will also bring your vehicle to safety.
How to Turn off Stabiltrack on Toyota:
If you own a Toyota, you will at some point also need to turn off your StabiliTrak, again, for safety purposes.
You will also be happy to know that the process for doing so in a Toyota is much easier. It will take you a shorter time to track everything that you will need. The presence of the VSC button makes everything easier.
Here’s the process:
- First, locate the VSC button on your Toyota, then push it to press. Hold it down for a while, just for a few more seconds.
- Interestingly, this will do the job just right. Pressing it will disable the VSC as well as the TRAC.
- Once you have completed this process, you will receive a message that says VSC off. This message comes alongside the TRAC off indicators.
Believe it or not, that’s all you need to do. This will improve the gas mileage of your car. Doing this also reduces the chances of your car’s tire wearing and tearing away.
Remember though that as a Toyota car driver, you still need to drive carefully and safely. This is the only way to enjoy the full benefits of the traffic control you have just applied.
That said, avoid being rough on the road. Do not increase the speed unnecessarily or drive aggressively, especially around curves and highways.
Doing this will ensure your Toyota remains in the best shape for much longer. You will also arrive safely to where you’re going with less of a hassle.
How to Turn off Stabiltrak on Fiat, Ram, Jeep, Chrysler
The traction control of these vehicles always monitors the way your wheels are spinning. It ensures you are moving just right for the surface you are on.
When the vehicle you own is a Fiat, Ram, a Jeep, or Chrysler, you need to carry out this process with the engine running. However, your vehicle needs to be stopped for you to manage this.
- What you should do once you have ensured this, is to press the ESC button. Ensure you press and hold for a while, about five seconds before releasing it.
- Once you have done this, there will be a chime. Once you’ve noticed the chime, you will see the ESC off signal on your vehicle’s instrument cluster.
With just these two steps, things will be easier for you when you are traveling to a place with difficult conditions. They could be steep icy hills or an area that’s been covered with mud or even snow.
In such places, reducing your vehicle’s power could get your vehicle stuck. It is therefore very counterproductive. Turning off your StabiliTrak will help you more instead.
Traction control will help you keep your car in a straight line. It will also help in prolonging the life of your vehicle in case you own any one of these.
Whether you drive a ram, jeep, Chrysler or fiat, looking after it when you’re out driving ensures you get the most value for the investment you put in purchasing it in the first place.
How to Turn off Stabilitrak on GMC Sierra
You can also turn off StabiliTrak in case you have a GMC sierra. In this case, here’s what you need to do:
- Find the center button then press it. You will find it in the center stack. If your car has wiggly lines then it will be easy for you to spot this.
- When you press the button, ensure you hold it long enough for a few seconds. After a while, the traction control lights will come up.
- When you check the instrument lister, you will be able to see it. The DIC message will then come up. People who own the GMC Sierra 2018 will identify most with this.
- After you’ve managed to do this, you don’t have to do anything else except wait for the StabiliTrak to automatically turn on.
- This will happen the moment your car goes beyond 56km/h. You should keep in mind that in this case the traction control will also be switched off.
How to Turn off Stabiltrak on Volkswagen
For those people who own Volkswagens or vehicles that are close in make to these, the process differs a bit. You can use the following steps to turn off the StabiliTrak:
- First, start by turning the accessory mode of your car. When you have done this, ensure you have kept your ignition on. However, you do not have to turn on your engine.
- Since at this point you are already done with the vehicle’s accessory mode, next up go to the lights. Find the hazard warning lights. If you don’t know where they are you can easily find them on the triangle button.
- Get your hands on this same triangle button and then press it. Once you have done this, the hazard turning lights will be turned on. When this is done, move to the next required step.
- Once the hazard warning lights have completely been turned on, proceed to press the gas pedals. Begin by doing so once on the gas pedals.
- Repeat this process four more times so that generally, you will have pressed it five times.
- The result of pressing the gas pedal will be that the car will start to move forward. It will move up to 5 feet ahead. After this, the TC will then go on. This will not need you to put in any more work. The car will automatically do that for you.
- That said, this process will be a bit different depending on the type or model of Volkswagen you have.
How to Reset Service Stabiltrak Light
When there is a computer or software failure, the StabiliTrak warning lights could go on. These are normally found on the instrument panel. You can solve this issue by pressing the StabiliTrak button.
Before you try out any reset, make sure you start by performing the correct diagnostic checks. Remember these warning lights are your only means when it comes to communicating problems.
Once you have completed the diagnostic check process, here’s how you can reset your StabiliTrak light:
- First, ensure you have not manually pressed the StabiliTrak button. In other cases, the weather might disable the StabiliTrak system.
- Turn your vehicle’s handwheel in a clockwise direction. In case this shuts off, your vehicle will not need any service.
- Turn off your vehicle and wait for about 15 seconds before turning it back on.
When the DIC message goes away, then your vehicle no longer needs repair.
If this message persists, you should consider contacting your local dealers or even seeking assistance from professional repair shops.
What Could cause the Stabiltrak Light to Come on?
Whenever you see the warning indicator light in your dashboard, this could be a sign that the system is not functioning as it should. It’s probably receiving a bad signal or has completely shut down.
If you notice that your traction service light is also on, it could be an indicator that the StabiliTrak system is problematic. Here are some causes:
The Input Sensor
This is definitely one of the most typical service StabiliTrak warning alerts that you will see on your dashboard.
A faulty sensor could be as related to wheel speed, the rate of your turns, and the steering angle.
You should resolve this as soon as possible by replacing the ruined sensor with another in a similar model at your local service facility.
A Faulty Controller
For this, the culprit could very well be a faulty powertrain module (PCM).
The moment the electronic sensor at the wheels communicates with the PCM on stability issues and the performance of your steering the StabiliTrak is activated. This is particularly the case in extreme weather.
A Case of Bad Connection
The service StabiliTrak connection could sometimes be failed by damage that could occur on the GM-LAN communication line.
General Motors usually uses GM-LAN cables for communication. These cables are shielded by a plastic jacket that extends further to the transmission mechanism.
The moment the plastic coverage is exposed to extreme temperatures for long, it becomes weak and is detached.
How to Fix StabiliTrak
When you see the Stabiltrak error message, you should know that there is a problem. On some occasions, you can repair it by cycling the basic engine ignition. Here are the steps:
- First, bring your vehicle to a stop and turn it off
- Allow it to sit for close to 20 seconds
- When you restart your vehicle that’s now standby, the error notification should go away
- If it fails to go away, get assistance
Conclusion
From the article, now you know what it means to turn the StabiliTrak and traction control light off.
You also know what to do if you want to turn off the StabiliTrak permanently.
The process is not complicated. However, remember when thinking of how to turn off StabiliTrak, check the process for your specific vehicle.
The steps differ whether you have a Ford, Volkswagen, and other models we have covered.
