After doing some reading around here this winter I pulled the green fuse in the engine bay of my '02 4Runner to disable the TRAC (and VSC & ABS). So now that winter is over with I put the fuse back in. The brake light and ABS lights turned off, but the VSC OFF and VSC TRAC lights are still on. I did disconnect the battery for an hour or so to see if I could luck out but sure enough those two lights came back on. I probably only drove about a 100 miles this winter w/o the fuse because I was hit & run and MN's excessive road salt use started turning my sheet metal rusty within two weeks. The check engine light is not on.

Do I pretty much have to take it to the dealership to have it looked at...or is there anything I can try before Toyota drains my bank account? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

You should search go "VSC / TRAC OFF" If I remember right you have to have a code reader that aligns the vsc system. I don't want speak wrong, but you should search.

 

I have searched and read all the 3rd gen forum threads that had VSC in the title (or something related). Maybe I missed the one I need...certainly a possibility. I was only able to find one thread that sounded just like mine (VSC light on & CEL off) but there was no answer on a fix. I will look again though. Thank you for the reply. Can anyone second stir_fry_boy's code reader align thought?

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/v...-closer-45793/

this may get you closer.

 

Well 22 pages later and burning eyeballs I read about the birth of the AndyMod. Unfortunately there wasn't a single mention of anything remotely related to my problem.

So if the CEL triggers there is a list of codes one can refer to, is there anything like that for other warning lights? Like a checklist of possible causes

 

I'm having basically the same issue, except my ABS light is on too. I've done the AndyMod and suspect that it's part of the problem. Although I installed a traction defeat switch instead of pulling the fuse. I took my Runner to the dealership for an unrelated issue and they told me that the lights being on are caused by a bad pressure sensor, which will be at least $400 to fix. That was 9 months ago and I've been running with the lights on ever since without any problems, except that my VSC, TRAC and ABS systems aren't working. Since your ABS light isn't on, the problem may not be the same as mine, but I suspect that it could be similar.

I have an OBD II reader and those lights do not throw a CEL code. Toyota technicians have more in depth readers that also will give them information on the lights you have on. The only way to know for sure is to take it to the dealership.

 

Sorry if I led you astray. I remember reading something about it somewhere and I thought it was in that long post. I think I clicked on a link somewhere about it but I can't remember for sure. But I agree with emptypockets. I remember that It does take a special code reader and most "mom and pop" shops probably don't have one. You could call them first to check, but you probably will end up taking it to the dealer. One more thing is to check the brake fluid level to make sure it is between "MAX" and "MIN".

 

What about the steering angle sensor? is your steering wheel centered?....If its off center,it might be enough to cause the VCS light to come on which then disables trac.....If the angle sensor is bad or out of center, in theory it should not cause a a CEL.

 

empty...maybe I'll stop by Toyota and see if I can convince them to use their reader real quick. Thanks for the info

stir...my brake fluid is dead center between min and max. I didn't mind reading that thread you posted...I just wanted to reply here and state I didn't find an answer in the hopes I could get some more ideas.

97...I'm not entirely positive what you mean by centered. To travel straight I have to hold the wheel slightly counter-clockwise but it has been that way for the last 20,000 miles. Is that what you are asking about?

About the only things that have changed with my runner recently in the last couple hundred miles (3 months) are to pull the fuse, got new tires put on, and was hit hard in the rear corner when it was in a parking lot. I sort of think this must have something to do with the fuse being pulled. I'll get the steering wheel re-centered as I have been meaning to do this for a long time and going in/out of 4wd can be a pain. Thanks for the ideas so far!

 

Put your brake fluid to max line. Toyota's are picky with this.