Hey guys, so I’ve been driving my 2001 4Runner for about 4 months . Since I’ve had it the slip / traction control light (not sure exactly which term for it is correct ) blinks and beeps when I go around bends ( most commonly when getting on and off highway exit ramps etc) usually it beeps and then when I straighten the wheel out it stops beeping . Whatever kind of annoying but not a big deal . But today on my way home from work it beeped like it always did but then while I’m going around the bend all of a sudden my car brakes on it’s own and I almost lose control of the car . And it happened twice on the way home . I’m usually only going 25-30 mph around these bends and it always beeps but this is the first time the wheels just randomly locked up and I almost lost control of the car .

Has this happened to anyone else? Anyone know exactly what it is and why it’s happening and how to fix it?

I am worried I’ll lose control of the car because of this and get into an accident . And I’m not driving fast or recklessly whatsoever which scares me even more.

any help would be much appreciated!

 

I've had the abs activate during light braking when a rear wheel bearing left a bunch of debris on a sensor magnet...that was interesting.
I don't have traction control on my 96 though, nor am I familiar with it, so bump for an answer for you.

 

Are you driving on pavement in 4wd?

 

Kind of sounds like the VSC is engaging - the ECU thinks the car is about to slide out of control and it's working to recover stability.

Might try a VSC reset/calibration: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/0...system-203498/

And might check the ABS sensors on each wheel - crud on them will make the ABS system (and traction control/VSC is part of that system) will think something weird is happening. The front sensors are out in the open and more prone to getting a little cloud of rust/metal on them sice they are magnetic and near the brakes. The rear sensors are inside the axle housing - a bit less prone to 'casual' contamination.

 

If the electronics are kicking in, it’s almost always a sensor that it’s lost connection with or is getting errant information.

 

Bought my 2003 4Runner sport from my mother. 250k. After about a month, only in a slow sweeping right hand turn at about 30-35mph, my left front wheel would brake heavily in a pulsing fashion as if the ABS was activating accompanied with a quick 4 or 5 beeps and the VSC light flashing on the dash. I spent hours reading through forum after forum trying to figure out what was going on since this was quite the dangerous situation. After mentioning it to my mother she told me she had the same issues just a few months after buying the 4Runner new. Took it to the dealership and what they come up with blew my mind but, it did fix the problem. Drum roll please…..the 120v plug that’s positioned inside the middle console. I’m guessing it must be something to do with the 120v button and the VSC button mounted right beside each other? Before hearing this information, I actually used the 120v plug for the first time to charge my drone while on the road, and believe it or not, I have not had the issue since then. It was only later that I put 2 and 2 together and realized the simple act of pressing the 120v button to activate the plug, completely did away with my wheel locking down. Side note: I dealt with the wheel locking down on a daily basis, there is a curve about 80 yards down the road from my driveway that would cause the problem every single time I left my house, got very frustrating. Happy to say after interacting with the 120v plug/button I have not had to deal with even a hint of the VCS issue since. I hope this helps others who have been pulling their hair out trying to figure this headache of an issue.