Power steering, check engine, traction control, no speedo, remote start not working,o
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 12-22-2010
Posts: 171
From: Bremen, IN
Power steering, check engine, traction control, no speedo, remote start not working,o
This morning was a really cold (mid 20s) morning, so as usual I hit the remote start on my car so it would be nice and warm for me. When I got out there the car was not running and was still covered with frost. When I started it up down in the driver info thing below the speedometer it said POWER STEERING, the traction control light was on, and when I scrolled through the information the only thing I could get was the mileage, oil life, and coolant temperature. When I drove off in it (I had to get to work) I noticed the transmission shifted jerky, and the check engine light came on and stayed on. The speedometer didn't work, but the tach did start to work after about a minute. When decelerating it acted like the transmission was stuck in a higher gear and so it would bog down some and then jerk into the next lower gear.
It did all the same stuff last year when it was under warranty, and whatever it was they did not have to replace anything and were able to get my car fixed that day. Now the warranty is out. I've worked on loads of cars, but not this one. Does anyone have any ideas what is going on, and what I can look at? Thanks.
It did all the same stuff last year when it was under warranty, and whatever it was they did not have to replace anything and were able to get my car fixed that day. Now the warranty is out. I've worked on loads of cars, but not this one. Does anyone have any ideas what is going on, and what I can look at? Thanks.
Platinum Member
Joined: 04-09-2006
Posts: 7,043
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Step 1: use a code reader to grab the code(s) - if you don't have a code reader, Autozone or one of the other parts stores may do that for you for free. Not recommended, but you can do this in a pinch - disconnect the NEGATIVE battery terminal for a couple of minutes to clear the code and reset the CEL - but be aware that they are then GONE and likely can't be retrieved
Step 2: go from there
Step 2: go from there
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 12-22-2010
Posts: 171
From: Bremen, IN
It did the exact same thing in February of this year under the same cold conditions. It's acting less like a general fault and more like a connectivity issue. I remember when this happened before they cleaned and tightened a connector and that was it.
I do have a nice scantool reader that will also let me monitor things as the engine is running, but trying to make it to work I did not have time to do anything on it. If it were a Cummins diesel engine I could take care of it here where I work, but other than that I do not have anything here to take care of it or even connect to it with me.
I do have a nice scantool reader that will also let me monitor things as the engine is running, but trying to make it to work I did not have time to do anything on it. If it were a Cummins diesel engine I could take care of it here where I work, but other than that I do not have anything here to take care of it or even connect to it with me.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 12-22-2010
Posts: 171
From: Bremen, IN
Okay, the problem corrected itself. I went out at lunch and started the car, and all but the CEL were off, and everything was working properly. When I went home the CEL was off too. I ran the scantool, and guess what! NO CODES FOUND! Gremlins? Maybe. I did check the battery connections, and they were tight. I also discovered it is the original battery. Since the car is a 2006 and now has 80k miles on it I may replace that.
Platinum Member
Joined: 04-09-2006
Posts: 7,043
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
If the ECL came on, you need to get the code via your code reader. If your code reader doesn't display a code, you likely need a newer code reader - one that does the CAN protocol as well as the older standard OBDII.