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3 Warning lights came on?

75K views 56 replies 14 participants last post by  jollyman78 
#1 · (Edited)
Just last week, 3 warning lamps came on

I had been into the fuse panel replacing a couple fuses and so I assumed I had done something to a fuse.

The Anti-Lock Brake System light is on
The Stability Control light is one
And another one that does not show up in the manual

See my image for the 3 lights that have red boxes around them
What is the bottom one that shows the vehicle on a uphill slant?

The traction control OFF light comes on when you turn the key, but it goes off after starting the engine

Just for the heck of it I disconnected the negative battery terminal, let it sit a while, then hooked it back up
No change, the 3 lights are still on

Anyone have any idea what could cause all 3 of these lights to come on and stay on?
See the image for the 3 lights with a red box around them
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Ok, so after doing a computer re-set, I took the van for a ride

The 3 warning lights were on on the way to my destination which was about 5 miles away
The van set for about an hour and then I returned home and noticed the 3 lights were off and stayed off

One thing to note about the traction control switch on the dash.
On the way home I was able to turn it off and on
The switch lights up and the warning light on the speedo comes on when it is off

When those 3 warning lights were on, the traction control switch does nothing
The switch will not light up or show the Off warning light on the speedo.

This is weird
 
#3 ·
First thought for me is you screwed something up. Don't take it wrong but if you had to replace fuses maybe something shorted or was damaged? Whenever I have a problem with anything I look at what I did first.

If the lights are now off maybe it was a fluke and you are all set?
 
#5 · (Edited)
If you have a smartphone or a tablet with bluetooth get a OBDII bluetooth dongle and the Torque app- very useful in troubleshooting such things.
Last week I had a check engine light come on and Torque app said it was a "steering column communication" error. Cleared it with the app and it hasn't come back.
I have had the "traction control off" light come on several times on vehicle startup in 20,000+ miles- it always goes away on a shutdown/restart. When it does this the traction switch has no effect.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
I have a pug in OBDII/EOBD device
I used that to check for any codes while the lights were on
I got the message that there were no codes

Thanks for the info on the traction switch
That's exactly what happens to my switch also
My van just hit 23,000 miles
 
#7 ·
That light you can't figure out - It is the "Hill Start Assist" light. When you are on a hill steep enough that the van would start to roll backward when you let off the brakes, the van will keep the brakes on for a couple seconds as you transition to the accelerator pedal.
 
#10 ·
i used the ford transit forum search box to find an answer for your problem, (i was bored.) i found about a dozen threads that involve the traction control light being on for no apparent reason before i stopped looking. the real reasons the traction control light and at least 2 more lights are turned on in those other threads are: (in order of the most common to least common.) the throttle body was or did go bad. a few said the problem seemed to fix itself.. the next person said the dealer said the firmware needed to be updated. another guy had to replace the instrument cluster. the throttle body starting to go bad is the most common answer and and the most worrysome since the engine can go dead at any time! (i did not read all threads so there may be more answers?)
 
#11 ·
Thanks
You would think that a message would show up in OBDII if the TB was having issues.
I'll keep an eye on the lights and see if I have any further issues

The Van does not get driven that much
Maybe there is an issue with it sitting for periods
I'll take it out for another drive and see about the lights
 
#17 ·
yeah not the quite right acronym, and was a little leery of using it at first, i remember those old time diseases and saw many firsthand. (polio did to me what it did to young forrest gump, and i too eventually lost that metal leg brace and shoe.)
 
#18 · (Edited)
Disclaimer: I do not have a Ford Transit, nor have I worked on a Ford Transit.

With other cars, the symptoms you describe point to a fault in a sensor or module common to the three systems. For example, the brake pedal position sensor.

A body or chassis trouble code will have been set, but you can't see those with low-end generic code readers. Most of them can only retrieve powertrain codes (the ones that set the check engine light). You need whatever Ford dealers use, or a higher-end third-party scanner.

It is common for other features to be disabled if a required sensor is faulty. So I'm not surprised that traction control would be inop. Cruise control might not work either. Do the brake lights work?

It is also normal for warning lights go out by themselves after so many ignition cycles without the fault condition present, but the code history should remain in the brake or body control module for longer.

The next move is to find someone with the right scanner, and retrieve ALL the codes. Everything else is just guesswork.
 
#19 ·
The next move is to find someone with the right scanner, and retrieve ALL the codes. Everything else is just guesswork.
Thanks for the info
Yes and someone that does not want a load of cash to scan the system
 
#20 ·
Just an update for those interested

After the computer reset I did, I had not driven the van yet, I had only started it up in the driveway.

I took it out fro a drive a couple days ago and the 3 lights stayed off for the entire drive.
So far so good
 
#22 ·
The lights tell you that there are codes to be retrieved. If the problem is intermittent, they may disappear and the code history may eventually clear, depending. That would be the worst scenario, because then you'd have no idea what was wrong in the first place.

If you've got a '17 with 5K miles, I'd take it to the dealer and have the codes retrieved under warranty. Ignorance isn't bliss.
 
#28 ·
so... I hit this yesterday, and the "front camera" (for lane warnings) was thrown into the mix... I've restarted the van 4-5 times, and they're still on. I've not pulled the battery cable as of yet. I have an OBDII scanner, and will probably have time to scan it tonight.
I'm going to take it to the dealership tomorrow or Wednesday, and will post back what they say.

My situation was a little different; this happened the first time using my Quigley 4wd (in 4hi) to get over a snow bank.

...2017, 2500 miles on it.
 
#29 ·
My lights have come on a couple more times since my first post
It seems to happens after I charge the starter battery overnight
I have not unhooked the negative battery terminal because they seem to go out again on their own

The lights don't go out right after starting up the vehicle
But after driving it down the road for at least 5 minutes, they will go out on their own.
 
#31 ·
UPDATE!

I got the van back from the dealership, and MY issue was related to the speed sensor on one of the wheels. Essentially, the retaining bolt was missing, and the sensor popped out...

It makes sense (to me) that all my systems were offline with this issue. When it happened, I immediately thought "ABS Sensor", and checked all 4 sensor connections; guess I should have checked the actual sensors themselves!

Here's what I got back from the dealership:
 
#32 ·
UPDATE!
I got the van back from the dealership, and MY issue was related to the speed sensor on one of the wheels. Essentially, the retaining bolt was missing, and the sensor popped out...
Thanks for the update
 
#34 ·
Very good info fellows, I'm having issue with my 2016 Transit. 23k miles on van.
First sign is traction control light comes on, as I come to a stop my hill assist light comes on. After these 2 lights come on I have experienced dash lights doing crazy erratic things, sometimes tach and speedo needles go all over the place. I have had a ton of codes stored in computer. The dealer has been no help yet. This also will not happen in cool weather this will only happen in 80 degrees plus weather. When lights come on ac stops working, cruise control will stop working as well. These lights will go out if I turn van off for a couple of min. I have had a no start situation when I cut the van off and tried to start it back up right away when these lights were on. This is a real headache.
 
#35 ·
I headed out to Moab this weekend, and has my lights come on again on the way back... stopped/restarted the van and they went away.
They popped again today... reset and good, then came back.

Knowing that the driver's front bolt was replaced, I climbed under the van and checked the 3 others. Sure as $#*%, the passenger front bolt was loose!

I just tightened her up, and I'll be going for a drive shortly.

This is the bolt, and location you're looking for:



 
#39 ·
This is the bolt, and location you're looking for:
I crawled under my van and looked at all four wheels
I don't see anything that looks like that bolt in your pics

There are wires going into the backs of all wheels, but they go to a multi wire plug and then into a plastic wire loom. I don't see any grounded wires.
 
#37 ·
The ones I talked about before; ABS/TCS, front camera fault (lane keeping) and hill start assist.

This is the retaining bolt for the wheel speed sensor. Easy to get at with my Quigley lifted van, maybe harder for stock. The two for the front are low and facing forward, the two for the rears are easy to see as well (I think facing backwards).
Really, just find the electrical wire going to the wheel-hub-area, and trace it to where the sensor bolts in. Also wouldn't be bad to check the quick connections for all 4 as well.

PM me if you need more pics/info to check these out.

...on the flip side, the dealer's scan tool should be able to tell if you have a sensor fault.
 
#43 ·
This is what all 4 of my hubs look like
A wheel sensor wire goes right into the hub
Then it heads over to the frame to a connector
Then up and does a loop
Then into a plastic wire loom to the vehicle front
 

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#44 ·
You're getting closer... follow that wire into the wheel hub. There should be a bolt holding the sensor in... if there isn't one, that's probably your issue!

The pic showed had the bolt unscrewed a bit, but it should be in a similar location. If you're still having issues finding it, I should be able to shoot some pics tonight (if it doesn't rain).
 
#46 ·
I didn't get a chance to look at MY van last night, but there's an electricians Transit at work today... so I crawled under and snapped a quick pic.

The bolt circled is on the driver's rear hub. The rear sensors/bolts area accessed "in front" of the axle. I didn't get a pic of the front, but if you can locate this in the rear, you'll know what you're looking for in the front.

 
#47 ·
jollyman78;574234 The bolt circled is on the driver's rear hub. The rear sensors/bolts area accessed "in front" of the axle. I didn't get a pic of the front said:
Thanks, I see the bolts on my rear hub shown in my pic below after the rain stopped
I have not had a chance to see if any of them are loose yet

The one in the picture below looks tight
 

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#52 ·
Just a follow up after having the reversed brake plate service bulletin done and the problem I was having with some warning lights coming on
Service bulletin info is in this thread
http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/...ing/50473-service-bulletin-tsb-15-0190-a.html

The mechanic at the Ford dealership said the reversed brake plate may be why the lights where coming on once in a while
There was no code in the system that they could find when they read the ODBII about the lights

The lights have never come on again since doing the bulletin, so it looks like he was right.
I have put about 1500 miles on the van since the bulletin fix

Here's a pic of the warning lights that were coming on before doing the bulletin fix
 

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#53 ·
I did the brake plate reversal fix myself. Still get the TCS light issue a couple of times since...
On friday we were leaving a campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway and I got a ding sound and the "info" light turned on.
Pulled up the menu and it said "fuel filter plugged". So pulled over, opened the fuel filter drain (mine's a diesel) drained out a few ounces of fuel- not dirty/no water.
Started van back up and warning light was off, drove 200 miles home and never came back on.
Was out in California back in June and had a check engine light pulled the code that said "high intake air flow detected". Stopped turned off/back on, light disappeared never to be seen again. About 10,000 miles since then.

I think these things have some gremlins in them somewhere....
 
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