Hit a pothole hard on Wednesday, and both the VSA and ABS light came on, and stayed on. When I got home I shut the engine off, then turned it back on, but both lights still stayed lit after startup. The next morning, the lights turned off after startup, like they suppose to.

Today, same thing happened after hitting another pothole(this is NYC!), but this time not as hard as on Wednesday.

Has this ever happened to anyone of you guys? What could be the cause of this?

Thanks

 

You may have damaged a speed sensor. There is one for each wheel. You can get the codes pulled at Autozone for free(so I have been told).

 

^ Thanks. Will look into it.

 

Ok, so I didn't bring it in to Autozone to get checked. But I googled 'vsa/abs dash light on' and it indeed seems to be the wheel speed sensor.

Over at MDX.org, someone mentioned steering angle sensor. I googled for the location of the steering angle sensor, but came up empty.

The only sensor I see on the steering knuckle is the wheel speed sensor.

What is this steering angle sensor some speak of, and where is it located? My assumption is that it might be one and the same?

Thanks.

BTW, I ordered a wheel speed sensor for the right wheel(that was the wheel that hit the pothole, causing the light to come on), yesterday. Will report back after I replace it, hopefully next weekend.

 

ABS sensor i will say its a very common fault.If you can get the code read when the lights are on it should state what one is at fault.

 

Well, I replaced the wheel speed sensor this past saturday, but the lights are still on.

Maybe there's a short somewhere in the wiring harness right above the right wheel well. I noticed the windshield washer light on the dash comes on sometimes. Seeing that the windshield washer fluid reservoir is located in the same spot, something seem to be amiss in that location, in the engine bay.

 

Did you get your MDX fixed? What was the fix?

 

Sorry, not fixed yet.

The light are still on constantly when the engine is running. Occasionally they stay off, but comes back on within a mile of driving.

Thing is though, there's no difference in the way it drives now with the light on, and how it drove before the lights starting coming on.

Will take it to a Acura/Honda(they're the only ones with the special code reader, I heard) stealership one day......

 

Thanks for the reply. I have a similar problem. Mine drives fine with the light on as well but that one instance (millisecond) Jerking/grinding prior to the light comes on scares me.

Here's what I posted at the MDXer.
04 MDX w/ 125K miles. I searched but this one seems to be unique. I will try to take it to Autozone to get a code read. In the mean time, I wanted to start this thread for a analytical conversation.

Symptoms: Grinding sound prior to VSA ! light came on stayed on. Can't shut it off with the VSA button. No other lights are on.

1. The VSA ! light came on three weeks ago when it was cold, snowy and icy. I thought it was normal for the VSA to come on because it was slippery but abnormal for it to stayed on and I could not turn it off until I turned the car off and restarted the car.
2. It came back on again with a grinding sound prior to the light came on, after random miles driven.
3. One week later, with a nice washed car, I drove the car again on a dry pavement and I got the same VSA ! light symptom with a grinding sound prior to the light came on. The grinding sound, I could feel it in the steering wheel and it felt like the brakes were being applied.
4. Yesterday, Jan. 15th, after about 65 miles driven on dry pavement, the grinding sound and VSA ! light came on. I stopped at the gas station, replenished and started out again to the airport.
5. After 5 minutes driven, the same: Grinding sound and VSA ! light came on and stayed on until I got home about 70 miles later.

I know this is a long read. Hopefully, someone out there had the same problem and got a fix for it. If not, this will be the thread in trying to get this problem fixed........

 

I have no grinding sound.

I read that there are a lot of different factors that can cause these lights to come on. One being the ABS sensor, which sounds like what your problem might be.

I doubt Autozone will have the code reader that read these codes. It's a special code reader that plugs into a different port from the one used to read CEL codes.

 

Just got back from Autozone. No ERR code.

 

I guess our best bet is to pay(pun intended!) a Honda/Acura dealership's service department a visit!

 

Are you sure you replaced the correct wheel sensor? What DTC came up? Did you clear the code as well? Also make sure the encoder is clean from debris and not damaged.

You might have busted your windshield washer res. Make sure it's not cracked / low. If not, faulty res sensor. Replace it.

 

That's what I've been wondering. It was the right front wheel that hit the pothole, so I replaced that one. Been thinking about maybe replacing the right rear. Today on my way home from work I made a pit stop, and when I restarted the X, the lights stayed off all the way home(about a mile's drive)!

Um....about that windshield washer thing......the fluid level was low ...