Q: are ESC/Traction and Brake light issues related?

asked by on April 03, 2017

I was flagged down and told my brake lights were not working, however upon inspection we discovered that while driving, my driving lights are fully illuminated, but when pressure is applied to the brake pedal the lights turn off unless the brake pedal is FLOORED and then the lights come on. we replaced the brake pedal sensor and that fixed the problem for a day or so and then the issue continued. an extended issues in my car is dash lights for "service esc service traction" but has caused no changes in function of the car, and the lights come and go and varied intervals that make no sense (not related to speed, weather, driving conditions, driving time) Could these two issues be related? What should I look at first, there seems to be a million things that it could be, and I don't have a million dollars to spend experimenting :)

My car has 130000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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This is an electrical issue and, as well, the issue involving the ESC system is probably electrical in nature, too. I would suggest downloading the diagnostic trouble codes that undoubtedly have been stored relative to the ESC malfunction to see if those codes implicate any part of the brake light circuit (e.g., there could be a common fuse which has an intermittent connection). If those codes are relevant, you will start with those codes but if not start with a simple trace of the brake light circuit to determine where and why that circuit is not completing when the brake light switch is confirmed closed. To perform the diagnostic, you must have the Factory Service Manual wiring diagram in hand, so it might be more efficient for you to simply request an electrical component/circuit diagnostic - brake light/ECS system and the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.

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