The Ultimate "check Vsc" Topic - Please Read And Reply If It&#

Enda · April 28, 2013

Hello I thought i would share my experience with the Vsc light .

I went out in the car this morning and after about half a mile had a loss of power and the vsc engine and car skid lights came on , i drove home and looked up this thread. After reading i thought it would be worth while cleaning the egr i cleaned it last year and it was not to bad. When i removed it it was really badly sooted and on closer inspection i noticed a hard bit of the carbon was jammed between the valve thing (not sure what its called) and the casing , this was stopping the valve from closing and it snapped shut when the carbon was removed. I cleaned everything up put it back together started it up and the lights have gone and the car going better than ever. When i think back to the last time i drove the car prior to this morning i had the car at full rev in 3rd gear for a short burst something i havent done for a while ,i think this must have dislodged the lump of carbon and jammed the valve open.

Well anyway that is my story so fingers crossed.

Enda

Lexmanic · April 28, 2013

Hi

I've just posted my experiences of this problem and then came across your topic.

Without repeating the saga which is now under the engine section of this club basically if you get this problem you are on your own, Lexus would not contribute although it's obvious from the posts this is a well known issue, only Lexus dealers have the necessary software which might. just might, trick the engine into regeneration. Forget comments on the warranty it's 60,000 miles or 3 years whichever comes first and that's it.

Personally I think a car that will tell you the boot is open should be able to tell you there's a problem with the engine before it gets to the point of expensive repairs, but then I'm naive - I bought a Lexus and thought it would be a reliable car!

I'm sorry but if the fault is inherent therefore known to Toyota then whether or not it has a dealer/factory warranty is irrelevant because your ARE covered under the "sale of goods act' as the product is unfit for its purpose. No doubt the dealer WILL argue with you but I can assure that what I say is correct in law, been there, done that a number of times and won the argument

ALLEN471 · May 26, 2013

I have a 2007 IS 250 SE with 44000 miles on the clock,I have just had all the lights and check VSC light up on the dashboard.I rang Lexus,Cardiff but as its a bank holiday there is no one working until tuesday.Any suggestions,can I still drive the car or not?.

briatore · May 26, 2013

Hi Allen

What do you mean, all the lights and check VSC? What other lights beside the check VSC went on?

ALLEN471 · May 26, 2013

Hi Flavio,the engine management light, the triangular warning light with the exclamation mark and the TRC light.

briatore · May 26, 2013

I'm sorry, It's something I haven't seen before. Does the car start and run? Does it go to limp mode? Is it on from the moment you start the engine, or it appears at some point?

I wouldn't drive it if I were you. Common sense dictates it's never a good idea to drive a car with warning lights on.

normski2 · May 26, 2013

The trouble with this is that it can be a whole host of things. It could be something really mundane and almost insignificant or it can be something really quite critical. Bloody frustrating. In essence you need to get the code read to find out what the problem is.

See my previous post with my sons car with a broken sensor wire. That was an easy fix once we knew what the issue was.

ALLEN471 · May 26, 2013

Hi Flavio,the car starts and runs ok but the warning lights are on straight away only drove home from town,1 mile so don't know whether it will go into limp mode.I think I will wait until tuesday and speak to the dealer,thanks for your input.

ALLEN471 · May 27, 2013

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my VSC problem,its so good to hear from people who have or had the same problem and to hear how you solved the problem.It seems that Lexus know about the problem but won't admit it,I never expected that from a quality car company such as Lexus.The owner's club is excellent and I am very happy to be a part of it.

ALLEN471 · May 28, 2013

I just had the AA to see my car which had the Check VSC,TRACTION CONTROL,MAIN WARNING LIGHT and ENGINE MANAGEMENT warning lights on.Their computer showed fault P2714

ALLEN471 · May 28, 2013

I just had the AA check my car Lexus 250SE which had the engine management light,Traction control light,main warning light and Check VSC lights illuminated.The AA computer showed fault P2714 which relates to the pressure control solenoid in the gear box,he reset it and lights went out,AA recommend further diagnosis/repair with Lexus.I contacted Lexus their advice carry on driving it may have been a glitch caused by water.I am at a loss why do the same warning lights flash for so many different problems surely Lexus need to get to grips with this problem or we'll all be selling the Lexus and getting a Kia at least they cover all problems for 7 years while Lexus seem to want to bury their heads in the sand.

briatore · May 28, 2013

Hi Allen,

The code corresponds to what they told you, so they are right. If I were you, I'd drive the car and see what happens. I know it's annoying to have all the lights come on all at once, but it's just a way of communication. :) One light or ten lights, it's all the same, The actual problem is what matters. You probably won't see it happen again and you probably have every reason to be happy. I wish I got away so easily with my problem. This is, of course, just my opinion and I'm just trying to be positive. You can feel about it any way you want. You have every right to. I'm happy the problem is not worse and I hope nothing happens again.

Happy driving. :)

ALLEN471 · May 28, 2013

Thanks Flavio,I've started and driven the car a few times today and touch wood the lights are still off so I hope that's all it is,a glitch as the Lexus dealer says at the worst its a gearbox but I'm an optimist,thanks for your contribution...Allen

james250 · May 28, 2013

Allen, the reason the check vsc light comes on is because when the check engine light is triggered by a stored DTC code, the computer then shuts down the VSC as it detects a fault and VSC requires everything to be working perfectly to operate correctly and as a safety measure it shuts it down.

The P2714 code is indeed related to the transmission and unfortunately a proper diagnostics at the dealership is going to cost you quite a bit of money as it requires taking apart the the solenoids, cleaning and inspecting and testing each solenoid. This is just for the diagnostics of it.

When you try to pickup quickly does the car randomly hesitate and do the rpm's seem strange and does the shifting feel a bit jerkey?

Gurno · May 29, 2013

Iv had vsc light come on last week, left it in for service. They infomed me its all related to problem with head gasket, and this in turn is linked to vsc light coming on. Other problems withthis include blower only blowing cold air when on hot, coolant low level and fan in engine coming up needlessly. Bad batch of engines in is models made in poland around 2008. Bringing mine, is220d to garage tomorrow to see about getting it fixed hopefully out of goodwill gesture because of above. They said full FSH is one condition and under 110,000 miles is second condition. My car is 57 reg, is220d with 93,000 on the clock. Will keep you updated.

ALLEN471 · June 1, 2013

The AA diagnosed fault P2714 which is a transmission fault,had the computer reset by the AA and was informed by Lexus that it could have been caused by water ingress.Anyway have travelled 200 miles or so the car drives perfectly so it looks like it could have just been a glitch and everything is back to normal,I hope,lucky me compared to some users.

Gurno · June 1, 2013

Well updated left my car in wedn morn and they ran it through diagnostics, prob with head gasket, as I had full lexus service history and under 110,000 miles they said they would replace whole engine. They rang back Frid morn to say job was completed free of charge. Very satisfactory outcome and customer service from lexus belfast

Lexmanic · June 1, 2013

Great news but I would say that as the fault was inherent (occurred in manufacture) they would be liable whatever the mileage or service history

doru · July 2, 2013

I'm also facing this problem ,i don't feel any power lose ,everything seems fine ,except for the "check vsc " warning.

The diagnosed fault is p0031 ,something to do with o2 sensor.

Is somebody else is facing this problem,or ant ideeas ?

ChumpusRex · July 2, 2013

p0031 is quite a common vault on many cars. It means that the heater in the oxygen sensor is burned out or malfunctioning. Usually, the problem is that the sensor has burned out, and needs to be replaced.

Occasionally, it can be a wiring fault or very rarely a ECU fault. Most people would recommend replacing the oxygen sensor with a good quality, preferable genuine toyota/lexus part (avoid cheap generic parts off eBay, they tend to be very unreliable, which you don't want for this important sensor).

doru · July 2, 2013

Thanks for your immediate response.

Before i'l buy the sensor ,i would like to check the wiring,how can i locate it ?or exclude the probab that this is the cause of the problem.

And another favor ,does anybody have an english service manual ?Mine came in german/dutch..

brido · December 1, 2013

Hi all,

I drive a 55 plate is250, it has been bombproof since i got it 4 years ago all i have done is mot and service the car and do the things required etc brakes tyres those sort of things. Before my last service however, the engine management light came on followed by a warning triangle saying check vsc then the traction control light. I intended to to get it checked at the service but all lights went off. About a week after they all came back on again so i booked it into lexus but by the time i waited to take it to lexus they were off again. This happened a third time but on this occasion i told lexus to run my car until the lights came on again so they could run the diagnostic, which they did and found the fault code and fixed the problem. Shortly afterwards the lights came on again and this time i was told it was because my exhaust system was leaking gas where the downpipes meet the cat and the flanges would need replaced. I found a dealer who did this for me and since then everything has been fine (about 2 months). When i was out yesterday however i was doing about 35 in a 40 zone just cruising when all the lights came on again. I have no idea what is causing it but i drove the car all day yesterday with the lights on, everything works perfectly well. I got up this morning turned car on and all the lights were out.

I am clueless as to what the problem is. Sorry for the long rant, just wanted thoughts as so many have the same issue with the lights but different fixes.

P.s i had low tyre pressure on front right which i thought might have been the reason but when i put the tyre to the correct pressure the lights remained on.

MaLexIS · January 8, 2014

Never mind when you are out of warranty, even with extended Lexus warranty on my 2007 Lexus IS220d, Lexus challenge repairing this common Check VSC P2002 error code fault.

MaLexIS · January 8, 2014

Never mind when you are out of warranty, even with extended warranty Lexus challenge repairing this common Check VSC P2002 error code fault.

My car was subject to a 'VSC Check' warning on Sat 4th Jan 2014, with my wife and kids (7 month old and 3 year old) in the car, and it went into limp home mode just coming off the motorway.

Lexus Roadside Assistance were called and got the car running again. I took the car to Lexus Coventry on Tues 7th Jan 2014 and was informed of what the issue was, with a full breakdown of the issue discussed and the parts/repair required. I was told to bring it back on Thurs 9th Jan for repair under warranty. I was subsequently told today (8^th Jan 2014) that as the fault codes had been erased (by the AA that Lexus Roadside Assistance had sent) the work cannot be authorised under warranty, as Lexus procedure dictates that the fault codes from the specific car (collated information) have to be provided. The issue is well known to Lexus and very common, with a significant number of cases detailed on this and various other forums, yet I am in a position in which I have to wait for the fault to re-occur before I can get anything done about it.

I have serious safety concerns about the safety of my family when my wife or I may be driving them around, as when it last went into limp home mode I lost power immediately when on the motorway. This was a frightening experience and having to drive the car around waiting for the fault to re-occur causes me great anxiety. A loyal customer, both from buying an approved used vehicle form Lexus to all service and aftercare being undertaken by Lexus (even wipers), I am dismayed at my treatment and the distress Lexus, specifically the procedure it applies in this case, is subjecting me to. The dealer has confirmed that they know what the problem is and wish to undertake the work, but Lexus warranty procedures are inhibiting them from completing the necessary repairs. I called customer relations who directed me back to the dealer, who have clearly talked me through the procedure and I have subsequently called customer relations back again with the intent of making a complaint. At this point the advisor asked if I had contacted the AA in ref to this matter, I think she was trying to deflect the blame, my response was why, when she previously said a fault code from the recovery company was not valid! Anyway, I purchased Lexus Roadside Assistance with my warranty and not AA, and as Lexus choose to outsource to, or rely on, the AA that is up to them and the responsibility in my eyes sits with Lexus! She subsequently said she will pass the case to a case manager and provide an update soon, but she stated that this did not mean anything will get done! I'll keep you posted. Very dissatisfied at this stage.