ESP BAS Light: What Is It & How To Turn It Off

What happens when the ESP BAS light on the dash suddenly appears while you are traveling on the road? You start to worry right away if your stability system control is malfunctioning. You should be concerned if this light comes on in your dash.

The fact that this light is concerned with both your safety and the general stability of the vehicle. Many different things could cause this light to appear on your dashboard.

What Is The ESP BAS Light?

The brake and stability control system isn’t functioning correctly when the ESP BAS indicator is illuminated. It shouldn’t be turning on so frequently. When the car’s emergency brakes are applied, it often turns on. These brakes prevent a potentially hazardous situation on the road from happening to you.

One of the many caution lights on the dashboard is this one. This light was built to give you prompt notifications and warnings or clear visual signals to indicate input or action. It flashes because something is interesting. If the light doesn’t go out, the mechanism isn’t disengaging, and it could be broken if that happens.

Foot on car brake.

When this light is illuminated, it indicates that either the brake assist program or the electronic stability program is malfunctioning. It may be a severe issue or something straightforward to fix.

It must initially be diagnosed for this reason. The most important rule is to avoid leaving your automobile running for an extended period with the light on. When you see that this light is on, you need to schedule a visit with the mechanic’s shop as soon as you can.

Reasons Why It Turns On

There are many possible causes for the ESP BAS light to appear on your dashboard. You can discover a lot and diagnose by scanning the car’s computer. Many secrets can be revealed if you have an appropriate diagnostic tool.

These instruments are reasonably priced on Amazon, and you can diagnose these problems independently. To study these things, you must have the desire and the free time. If you don’t like doing things yourself, you can take your automobile to a shop with one of these tools, which can help you figure out the issue.

Before we begin debugging, let’s first go over all the leading causes of the car’s odd behavior.

1.     Worn-out rotors, pads, and calipers

The ESP BAS light is known to appear on the dash when these three parts fail. Particularly stuck or frozen brake calipers exert pressure on the pads and are programmed to freeze, which makes the light flash. Another issue that frequently leads to these concerns is brake pads that are worn out and need to be replaced.

A mechanic repairing brake pads.

Pads are widely available and reasonably priced. Brake pads don’t often last that long, after all. The rotors are finally present. Your car needs the rotors to function correctly. The rotors are perfectly capable of surviving for 30,000 kilometers. You may also want to think about having the brake rotors turned rather than replacing them.

2.     Bad brake switch

One of the causes of this issue could be something as straightforward as a defective brake switch. These brake switches are notorious for wearing out frequently. Even though the producers promise an endless lifespan. There’s a good chance you’ll need to change it occasionally.

These switches operate in a relatively straightforward manner. This switch activates the rear brake lights when you press your foot on the brake. To function, this switch must be flipped. Those who are following you may see if you are stopping.

Someone will hit you from behind if your brake lights aren’t functioning correctly (like not turning off). Please keep this sensor under control as a result. This sensor was created for this reason, and when it malfunctions, it will notify you that it needs to be replaced. The ESP BAS light is on as a result, and you must identify the problem as soon as possible.

3.     Bad wheel speed sensor

Your car has a speed sensor that measures your average speed on each wheel. The ESP BAS systems include these sensors. Your wheels will spin at the appropriate pace thanks to the speed sensor. This makes it easier for the ESP BAS system to detect traction loss. You risk losing traction if you drive on ice, rocks, or another unstable terrain.

A car cruising the icy road.

Your sensors read various values when you are driving on these surfaces. The ESP system will activate and apply pressure when a wheel loses traction. This will assist in restoring the car’s stability and keeping it on the road.

Your ESP BAS light will temporarily illuminate as a result of this action. It should turn off once it disengages and stay off after that. If the light does not go off, perhaps one of the wheel sensors has to be replaced.

4.     Steering angle sensor

Modern automobiles include a variety of sensors and cutting-edge technologies. As a result, numerous models are afflicted with issues. And with this sensor, it is the situation, a fairly straightforward thing that gives people headaches.

One of the most likely causes of the ESP BAS light on your dashboard is an issue with the steering angle sensor. This steering wheel sensor supports your wheel’s seamless coordination with the ground’s wheels. This sensor makes sure that all of your wheels are rotating correctly.

The steering rack of your vehicle houses this sensor. The sensor may lose contact when a problem arises, resulting in the ESP BAS light turning on. If the light turns on, there may not be any touch with the sensor; conversely, if it goes out, there is contact with it again. This will become apparent while you are driving over bumps or through potholes.

Taking care of this sensor is difficult. Checking to see if the connections sound is the best action. Examine the contacts with an odometer. It’s something different if the readings are good. If the readings are inaccurate, the sensor is defective.

Can I Still Drive With The ESP Light On?

Although we wouldn’t advise it, driving with the ESP light is safe. If the ESP light is on, either the system is malfunctioning and needs reset, or you have turned it off. It will therefore be unable to halt your spinning as well as it could if it were in use.

Although not necessarily harmful, it indicates a crucial safety mechanism isn’t functioning; if there is a problem, it is recommended to rectify it, and we advise keeping the system turned on.

How Do I Get Rid Of The ESP BAS Light?

The steering angle sensor must be reset to turn off the ESP BAS light. Turn the wheel four times—four times to the right, four times to the left, and four times to the center. Your steering angle system will then be recalibrated, and the ESP BAS light should go out.

After recalibrating the steering angle, if the light remains on, there might be an issue with your wheel speed sensor. If this is the case, you can swap out the damaged sensor for a working one to disable the ESP BAS light and restore regular operation to your Wrangler.

Cost To Repair The BAS Light

The cause of the issue and labor costs determine how much it will cost to fix the lit ESP BAS light. The price range for replacing the ABS Pump was $290 to $1,100. The replacement wheel sensor cost between $190 and $260. And the price range for replacing the brake pads is $100 to $310.

Conclusion

The overall safety of your car is significantly influenced by the ESP and BAS systems. These systems prevent tens of thousands of crashes every day. Additionally, a lot of people are still living today thanks to them.

In your car, a functional safety system is crucial. If you notice an ESP BAS light that starts to glow but doesn’t go off, something went wrong, and you need to fix it. You can get an OBD scanner and identify the problem if you enjoy working on cars. Examine the codes and look them up online. There are a lot of solutions available.

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About Brock Rangel

Hi, I am Brock, and I am the lead editor/photographer for TheCarColony. I have been a mechanic for over 14 years now, and I am here to spread my car knowledge across the web!

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