ABS & Traction Control Light and DIC Service Stability System comes on together

[GBE5200]

I have a 2002 Deville and the ABS & Traction Control lights and the DIC Service Stability System comes on intermittently and not ever time I drive the car. What should I look for?

[Cadillac Jim]

It's probably a wheel hub sensor or a ride height sensor, i.e. a loose connector somewhere. The simplest way to find it is to run your OBD codes and see wht the computer is finding out and why it is turning on the warning light.

[barczy01]

If the light come on and off with a bunch of stored codes, check the grounds on the transmission.

[guyslp]

What I'm about to offer is based on my experiences with my recently sold 1999 Jaguar XJ8L, with which I had several similar experiences:

1. If you have not been doing regular brake fluid changes (about once every two years) the bits of detritus that can (and usually does) build up can wreak havoc with various sensors in the system.

2. You can get some weird ABS and stability control issues if any of the wheel speed sensors are dying or even dirty to the degree that they intermittently misbehave. (This also occurred on a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon I own).

3. I don't know about these cars, per se, but the Jag was hypersensitive to a battery that was on the decline. It would start without issue, but I'd get things like the faults you're describing, "gearbox fault," and others all of which occurred within seconds of turning the key. Once the battery was replaced all of these faults disappeared and have never returned (the car is now owned by a good friend and I still see it frequently).

Brian

[Cadillac Jim]

The problems you are describing with the Jag will happen with any modern car if the battery voltage drops below about 9 Volts during starting. There are OBD codes for this that will tell the knowledgeable mechanic to ignore the HISTORY codes, charge the battery or change it, and see what comes back.