Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) disabling on its own, local dealer can't find solution...anyone else experience this?

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erinil17

New member
Joined
Feb 17, 2017
Messages
4
Hi,

I’ve had a nagging issue with the Vehicle Stability Assist warning light. Frequently, when starting my car, the warning light engages which may (or may not) turn off my SVA feature. Then, when the car is off, the VSA resets itself and goes back to normal mode. But the next day, or a few times a week, it re-engages in the problem of disabling the VSA automatically. My local dealer service department have tried running diagnostics, replacing sensors and the last one was the SVA pump. The issue has lasted over 2 years. Having tried 3 fixes (two of them being the same sensor) it still has not resolved. They are at loss and because they don’t have any knowledge of what to do next and electric cars have their own inherent learning curve, they seem reluctant to continue and more keen on dropping the issue altogether. They keep informing me they have looked to Mitsubuishi headquarters and forums but have found nothing to help them resolve this. I finally have come to think maybe I need to dig deeper on my own thus I thought of you and your relative expertise. I have asked them many times if they have seen or heard of other i-MiEV cars experiencing the same and they say no. Anyone heard or seen this issue arise in the i-MiEV cars? If so, I’d love to have your input and advice on what I may be able to accomplish here back at home.
 
Although I also own an I-miEV I can only offer information about what are common problems on the 2005 and 2006 smart 450 diesel and other newer smarts including the electric smart.

On the smart there are reluctor rings on the axles which check wheel RPM. They are a press fit on the axle and frequently crack due to rust build up on the axle.

The second problem involves the switch which tells the car's computer that the brakes have been applied. If it fails or is frozen from water incursion in cold weather, this will disable the stability control.

A third possibility on the smart is a defective or misaligned yaw sensor in the steering wheel.
 
veimi,

wow - thanks for the speedy reply veimi! I think you may be on to something - I've noticed this issue crops up with colder weather. Had one instance of it last spring, late, then nothing throughout summer. Then when Fall weather arrived it came on with a vengeance. The dealer service department hasn't mentioned reluctor rings. I'll bounce this their way and see what they say. Thanks!!!
 
veimi said:
A third possibility on the smart is a defective or misaligned yaw sensor in the steering wheel.

Forgot to add, it was this sensor that was replaced twice within 6 months which seemed at first to fix the problem but then it came back. I just talked with the dealer service manager overseeing the case, he says his mechanics looked at the rings and concluded it wasn't the problem. Perplexing!
 
The most common culprit of intermittent electrical issues is the sliding electrical contacts in connectors.

Unfortunately this is also the most difficult to troubleshoot and find the "smoking gun".

One thing that you could do on your own, would be to trace all the circuits of that system and inspect every terminal contact in the connectors with a magnifying glass. The action of opening and closing the connector will also wipe the contacts and hopefully clean any debris or oxidation. There are also contact cleaning chemicals available that can be sprayed or wiped on contacts to remove oxidation, e.g. deOxit. Gold contacts will not oxidize, but i doubt many car makers want to spring for the gold-plated versions.

i feel your pain, good luck with sorting it out.
 
One last thought.

How are your tire pressures?

Even though the car has tire pressure monitoring, it seems to me that a significant difference in left side-right side tire pressures could be an issue.

This is the way that GM used to determine that a tire pressure was low.
 
kiev,
thanks for chiming in. I'll be taking the car in soon, back to our Mitsubishi with the regional manager on hand to discuss. I'll mention this to them and see if they can checked the connectors. Certainly wouldn't hurt to look. Thank you!

veimi -

the tire pressure has always been good. I keep an eye on it and use my portable compressor when needed - I only had had one instance of quick pressure change when our cold weather dropped to zero or below but that was it. I actually use the car both solo and with family and it makes no difference if there is one occupant (me) driving and the VSA disables then warns or if my wife and kids ride too. It will happen either way. Unless the constant flux of weight shifting from family down to one and back is causing some sort of extra tire pressure sensitivity....
 
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