Traction Control "OFF" Light Lit

[angiewarhol]

Hi. I seem to be having an opposite issue of many others, whereas I want to make sure my Traction Control is ON, and not off.Here's my issue. I just bought a 2009 Vibe AWD. The Traction Control OFF button (near my knee below the dash) is often lit. I can't get the Traction Control to turn back ON, even while stopped. But, this only occurs sometimes. Mostly (from what I can tell) when I use my newly installed auto start.Has anyone had this issue? I've read the manual a billion times, and can't seem to figure it out.

[j42.snyder]

The button itself is backlit so you can see it at night. It will be lit whenever the headlights are on. When you press it to turn the traction or stability control "off" - a separate indicator appears on the dashboard to indicate it's disabled. It will automatically revert to "on" whenever the car is shut off and re-started.You can turn the traction control off at any time, as long as you're going under 35MPH. Once over that, it will turn on again automatically.If you want to disable it further, you can hold the button down when stopped and it will disable StabiliTrak as well as traction control. It will remain off until you re-start the car, when it defaults to ON again.Unless the Traction Off or VSC OFF light are illuminated on the dash, your systems are active.John

[angiewarhol]

Wow. Really? That sounds so simple. Thanks!Can you also tell me, what are the main differences between Traction Control and StabiliTrak? I'm not sure I understand that. (Well, I KNOW I don't understand that!)

[j42.snyder]

Traction control simply uses the ABS sensors to detect if one wheel is spinning faster than the others. If it is, it can apply the brake at that wheel to slow it down - transferring power to the remaining wheels with traction. If this still isn't effective enough, it can also back off on the throttle to allow the tires to re-gain traction. It's a bit strange when you have your foot into it, and suddenly it backs off - but it will flash the traction light and beep when this occurs.Stability control is a little more complex. It combines the above features along with sensors for the angle of the steering wheel, and it has sensors to calculate whether or not the vehicle is following its intended path through a corner (appropriate g-forces, etc.). If it figures out that the car is "pushing" through a corner for example, it can reduce power and apply individual brakes as required to help put the car back "on track". It will also flash a light and beep at you when intervening in this way. It can't overcome the laws of physics, but it can help keep the car pointed where you want it. The first time you get a good snow, it would probably be a good idea to find an empty parking lot and experiment to learn how this works. That way you'll be ready for it if it happens some other time - and you'll be more familiar with the car's limits ahead of time.Hope this helps!John

[zionzr2]

Quote, originally posted by j42.snyder »... The first time you get a good snow, it would probably be a good idea to find an empty parking lot and experiment to learn how this works. That way you'll be ready for it if it happens some other time - and you'll be more familiar with the car's limits ahead of time...thats great advice for any vehicle you have, no matter what features it has or doesn't have. Not only is it fun!! You know full well ahead of time how your vehicle performs in those situations and how to respond when it does.

[angiewarhol]

Thanks for your help! There's plenty of snow on the ground here in MN, so I'll give it a try!