2007 Chrysler Pacifica ESP/BAS & traction control lights on

92saturnsl2 · Jul 23, 2022

I have a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica Limited which greeted me yesterday with the ESP/BAS & traction control lights illuminated immediately after starting the car. I've driven it several times since then and they're staying on, doesn't appear to be fixing itself

.

Since the ABS light is not on, I'm inclined to think that it's not a wheel speed sensor, but likely a steering wheel angle sensor or another component related to the stability control. I meant to buy a code reader that can scan chassis / ABS codes and such a while back, pretty sure my old bluetooth ELM327 adapter will only read ECU codes. I'll see if perhaps Autozone can read the code, and I plan to order a decent scanner this weekend.

In the meantime, is anyone familiar with common causes for these two lights in this vintage of Chrysler? Is there any benefit in unplugging the battery, or is that a waste of time? If it's the steering wheel angle sensor as I suspect, what does this repair entail? Pretty sure these are buried in the column somewhere, but I've never replaced one. If anyone can help with this, feel free to chime in.

harbor · Jul 23, 2022

Have you tried turning the steering wheel lock-to-lock a few times to recalibrate the sensor.?
This has worked for me a few times.

92saturnsl2 · Jul 23, 2022

harbor said:
Have you tried turning the steering wheel lock-to-lock a few times to recalibrate the sensor.?
This has worked for me a few times.

I actually tried it but not sure if I'm following correct procedure. I turned the wheel back and forth 2-3 times lock to lock, but not sure if the PCM would recognize it right away-- when I restarted the car, the lights are still on.

harbor · Jul 24, 2022

Maybe try the owners forum.

Chrysler Pacifica - Chrysler Forum - Chrysler Enthusiast Forums

Chrysler Pacifica - Luxury meets versatility in this mid-sized sport utility vehicle

www.chryslerforum.com

92saturnsl2 · Aug 9, 2022

I finally got this figured out and repaired. I first bought a $750 scan tool (Xtool D8) which was way overdue, I needed one anyways, so good timing. Codes pointed to steering wheel angle sensor as I suspected. Sensor reading was off the charts (as you can see in the photo). The steering angle sensor (SAS) is integrated into the airbag clock spring, I suspect most vehicles are like this nowadays.

Only place I could find the part was Rockauto and they want $390 for OEM. I called all the local dealers and they say it's discontinued, they can't even get it. So I headed to the junkyard, which was a blessing as I was pretty much going into this repair blind-- never replaced a clockspring before or even been inside a modern steering column. Two trips to the junkyard later (first trip I forgot to bring a steering wheel puller), I had a clockspring in hand and the knowledge of how to take the column apart to get access to it. The beauty of junkyard parts pulling is you can learn / experiment and don't have to worry about messing up your own vehicle

I pulled the clockspring from another 2007 Pacifica whose airbag had deployed, only one they had there-- I was a bit hesitant about that, but after I studied the assembly, it's pretty mechanical in nature and nothing seemed affected.

30 minute repair in my driveway to replace my old one, and the junkyard unit worked perfect. ESP/BAS and traction control lights went off as soon as I started the car. Scanned for codes on all systems and got nothing. These don't require any special calibration-- start car, center steering wheel, then turn left then right, lock to lock. I watched the sensor reading on the scan tool as I turned the wheel and everything checks out. Really pleased that this repair cost $11 and only 2-3 hours of my time. And I finally had an excuse to buy a nice scan tool.

Old codes / sensor reading: