HHR 2.0

Hello, I have a question regarding the Electronic Stability Control. I noticed under the instrument cluster where the info bar is, it says Service ESC. it seems like this only comes up while I go over the train tracks near my house because I dont believe I have seen it come up any other time. I dont know if its just saying ESC has kicked as a result of going over the train tracks or I have a sensor or fuse that went out? I just purchased my HHR by a Subaru dealership less than 3 weeks ago and they seem to maintenance their vehicles well when putting them on their lot.

whopper

Year and mileage please?

there are a fair number of references to the ESC system here (found via the Search Tool at the top of the page). Some of them refer to a possible problem with the hubs and the ABS sensors built into them, and I am sure there can be other causes.

A full-fledged OBDII reader might pull the appropriate codes for diagnostic purposes.

Oldblue

Could be a loose wire at the ABS connection to the hub or as Whopper stated, a scan is in order.

HHR 2.0

Ok. I read the sections containing ESC. in the manual and it says "This light stays on solid as long as the detected problem remains present." I did hear it today without going over any train tracks. It chimes then the symbol appears on the instrument cluster for roughly 5 seconds then disappears. If there was a problem it would stay on correct? Out of curiosity, what category would ESC fall under for vehicle repairs? I have a warranty that covers a certain amount of situations and am hoping it will be covered.

HHR 2.0

It is a 2010 with 84,000 miles

whopper

Regarding warranty - you will have to check to see what exactly your warranty covers - they vary all over the place. Hubs have been known to "go" at that mileage, but some last the life of the car - so hard to say if it is the hubs. Best to get a reading out of the OBD system using a full-on scanner that reads ABS/ESC codes.

Are the tracks that you cross considered extreme (ie: gives a read bad ride/bumpy/thumping/jostling etc.)?

If it comes on intermittently while doing "normal" driving on "normal" roads, then yeah you have a problem. I don't have ESC on our HHR, just TC - so I do not have hands-on experience with it.

HHR 2.0

Thank you very much for the information Whopper and I appreciate your response. I was told ESC involved the drivetrain which was what I was looking for to see if my warranty covered drivetrain issues. I got it fixed today! no charge. they did what you just said regarding scanning the codes. They said there were no problems or replacements needed for my HHR because it was just a computer hiccup. I believe he was saying the computer was not aligned with the code so the ESC thought I was turning when in actuality I was not.

whopper

Cool - well, keep an eye on it - I'm no expert with the ESC but I suspect it should come on VERY infrequently. (ie: not a normal occurrence).

A friend recounted a similar problem with his older Vette - it started acting up, and was applying the brakes etc. while driving straight - so he had to disable it with removing the fuse to finish his trip. He said there was a sensor on the steering column or something that had gone bad, and was throwing the computer into a fit. He managed to get a replacement part to fix it, but now they don't make that particular part anymore, so people have been having to scour the junk yards for it.

Keep us posted on the situation if you can.