ESC and ABS on 2016 Renault Kangoo Maxi

[guenther]

Hallo Members,

I wonder If anyone could help with a good description how the Stability Controll System on the 2016 Kangoo Maxi works.
ABS , Stability Contoll , Hill Holder are all linked and function by a complex system of ABS Module, Wheel speed sensors , Steering wheel directional sensor , hydraulic pump and valves....
With the Kangoo the ESC is permanent , cannot be switched off , as on some vehicles.

When an fault occours on ABS or ESC both alarm light in the dash (intrument ) come on, because the systems work together.
( also the alarm light " the spanner" comes on .... telling you " go to a service centre " )

I have had an ABS problem for months , two Renault Service Centres struggled to fix it, changing twice the rear speed sensors , then the ABS module... ( Spare part delivery was a nightmare .... each taking 5 weeks )

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Now it all seems to work again ( Hill Holder, Traction Controll, the up/ down gear shift info in the instrument, ABS...well , have not slammed the brakes jet. )

However ,only 50 km after the Module exchange ,on one occation , going with the left wheels over those little "wake up " speed humps by the side off the road , the lights came on again. Stopping the car , switching engine off/ on did not help.... Driving from Sydney to Katoomba and parking the car , restarting after about an hour..... and everything ok again... all alarm light off , all function ok.
Did not happen again over the last 5 days.

MY question is : ESC ...Some Google Info states that if the car is about to loose controll ,and the System is trying to adjust, meaning engaging ... then the ESC light in the instrument will flash..... and a certain time will elaps before the light goes off again.. ( meaning disengage )...
Can anyone comment on this..?

I assume that in my case , Light ( that means Lights ESC, ABS , Spanner) being solid on after the vibration of the side line humps, and staying on for 100 km and more than one hour ( functions out ), could most likely not be explained by the above sayed. Would have been again a fault of ABS or ESC ?????
Has been working since without fault... ( 5 days ).

Thank You for Your input...

Best Regards , save journey
Guenther

[jaahn]

Hi Guenther,
Sorry you are having problems, the dealers should be able to sort it out. If they cannot then get onto the head office and ask for more work to fix it properly. Any time the lights come on and stay the central computer will record(log) the fault and information about the reason and what the car was doing at the time. The dealer has the computer reader that will reveal all the details they need. They are not trying properly and it is a safety item also. They can also ask Renault central in France if necessary.
I would write down all the details of when all your faults occurred and the circumstances as you remember and the details of what the dealers have done. If you do not get satisfaction from the dealer then write to the NRMA if a member, or ask them, and the Dept of Consumer Affairs. It can be amazing how that will 'find an answer" to a difficult problem.

I have a Captur which is really the same basic chassie and has the same features of ABS ESC Hill Hold etc. In reality all the features use the same ABS unit to do the work. The ECU computer or several computers connected, just have the software written in them to handle the inputs from the sensors, 4x wheel speed, stability yaw sensor, steering sensor, and engine speed and transmission speed and ??. These inputs from the sensors are compared to values in the memory and if they are "too high" the computer sends messages to the ABS unit controller which can brake the wheels individually, in pairs or all together as required. It is done at a high speed and by pulsing the brake pressures to the wheels. And it will reduce or cut the engine power as seen necessary. The ABS has a pump which supplies the pressure when necessary, or even when you are pressing on the brake pedal. It is then felt to pulse.

In your case they have replaced some sensors and the ABS, so they should be OK. However if you had a fault showup on the ripple strip it would point to a bad connection or bad sensor or faulty wire, possibly. Hard to say from my computer keyboard. However the ECU fault log will have recorded the reason and the circumstances of things that happened at the same time. The dealer must look at that on his factory system again.

It may be that the system has shaken the fault and is OK, but I repeat, a fault is always recorded in the ECU log.

Every time you start the car, the ABS controller does a check on its system and will turn itself off and put the fault lights on if a fault is detected. If the ABS is turned off then the brakes still work normally as brakes did before but without the antilock and other features.
Jaahn