Intermittent ABS + ESP lights, and related questions

[DasKRAUT]

I suffer from a similar issue but only after it has rained. Even when parked and it has rained. But it does going away after it dries up. I'm planning on replacing all abs sensors.

[IdeaNerd]

Well, it's baaaaack. ABS + ESP lights again this week, though consistent now, rather than intermittent.

Different code this time however: 00778 "Steering angle sensor - Faulty"

[peterson390]

How about the wire harness coming out of the door? Sometimes these go bad and have to be replaced.

[Itsamoto]

Yes I had failed angle sensor - the movement resulted in worn traces - its pricey to get a new one (as in you might as well buy a third van for all the parts).

[mvaska]

It's not particularly difficult to get to and inspect/clean the steering angle sensor... But I'd try a software recalibrate first.

I got this at one point a year ago and the sensor looked fine so I cleaned it a bit and recalibrated... and it's been fine ever since.

How many miles? Mine had 140ish.

[sschaal]

My mechanic figured out another reason for the ABS+ESP intermittent light. In my 2002 European, the lights came on rarely (reset after turning the car off), and then more and more frequently, until most of the time. The mechanic read out that the steering angle sensor has a problem. But the issue was actually caused by worn bushings on my rack&pinion. The steering started to have some slack, and this triggered the steering sensor fault. The more worn the bushing, the more frequent the ABS+ESP were triggered. Replacing the bushing ($150 job) fixed it all. Thus, any mechanical wear in the steering system can actually cause the ABS+ESP light issues.

[Douglas Denlinger]

[dborell]

I get the intermittent ABS + ESP lights....mentioned to my mechanic and he thought it was likely a wheel speed sensor. Havent bothered to address yet cause lights come on only once every 2 months.

[Endopotential]

Reviving this old thread, instead of starting yet another.

I've got an '02 Weekender with 125k miles. Recently I've been getting the same ASB+ESP lights. Almost always comes on after 30-40 minutes of driving. Other than the lights, the driving and braking seem fine. If I shut off ignition and start up again, the light disappears only to come back after another 30min or so.

I've got Torque Pro to play with, and no error codes from there. Battery shows 13.4-13.7 V on dash gauge I've installed. No problems with steering or suspension squeaks that I can make out. Engine coolant pegged at 190 as always, and transmission temp 180 with a cooler.

Any easy next steps other than taking it to the shop? Do I need to get an Autel or VCDS scanner to dig deeper into error codes?

Could engine heat be affecting some sensor within the engine bay? Of all the problems folks talk about here, I haven't read anything about building heat shields around the ECU/TCU.