If the VSC light says VSC OFF, then there could be an issue with your vehicle’s stability, the light itself is malfunctioning, or the computer that controls the light is glitching. Fix the VSC OFF light soon, as you won’t know if your car is safe while driving in dangerous conditions.
Why is my car’s VSC OFF light blinking?
Driving down roads that wind back and forth can be dangerous, even for the most experienced drivers. If you are going too fast, you could spin out and hit a tree or a streetlight. If you are driving in the rain, hydroplaning is always a danger.
The point of the VSC system in your vehicle is to stabilize your car while you are driving through dangerous road conditions. You will know that the VSC system is working because the VSC light will turn on and stay on the dashboard.
But if a VSC OFF light is flashing, the computer is trying to warn the driver and make them aware of a problem within the system.
There are three common reasons why a VSC OFF light is flashing:
- The computer that controls the VSC and VSC OFF light is glitching.
- The light that illuminates the VSC OFF words is not working.
- The gas cap is loose.
What is the VSC light and system?
If you are the proud owner of a Toyota vehicle, then you have probably heard about the VSC light while you were skimming through your owner’s manual. Just kidding! Nobody reads their vehicle’s manual until something goes wrong!
But you may see the VSC light on the dashboard. What does the light mean and why is it important?
First of all, the VSC light is a warning light, like a check engine light. All Toyotas have a separate check engine light. VSC stands for vehicle stability control and its main purpose is to keep the body of the car and the wheels traveling in the same direction.
Now, what does that actually mean? Well, let’s say you’re driving down a road. Everything is going well, and then suddenly, some Blue Man Group reject swerves into your lane. Not only are they gliding directly into your lane, but if you don’t move out of the way fast, their bumper is going to hit the front of your car!
You swerve out of the way as fast as you can. In a split second, you avoided getting into a collision with this low IQ pencil sniffer.
But now your vehicle is swerving farther than you wanted. When this happens, it’s because the stability of your vehicle is completely off balance. If you cannot maneuver your steering wheel and gain stability back, you will swerve into another car or into the divider.
The vehicle stability control system is an automatic system that detects when your car swerves out of control, like in the situation above.
The VSC system will help you if you start to lose control while driving too fast on a winding road.
The VSC system is not functioning all the time. When your vehicle starts to lose stability, the sensors around the vehicle’s alignment will signal to the computer in the engine and the VSC system will automatically turn on.
So, when the VSC system starts to control the car, the VSC light on the dashboard will light up.
How to fix the VSC OFF light
When it comes to the cost of repairs, you’ll be happy to know that fixing the VSC OFF light is relatively inexpensive to fix. There are even certain ways that the driver themselves can fix the light, so they won’t have to take it down to the mechanic.
The dashboard light is glitching – Fix by using the VSC Light Easy Fix
A method that vehicle owners can use to try and fix the VSC off light. This is known as the VSC easy light fix. It’s supposed to reset a glitching VSC OFF light.
The first thing you should do is turn on the car but leave it in park. If you are driving, pull into a parking lot and Park.
Then, you will want to find the VSC button and hold it down for a couple of seconds. After a few seconds, the VSC off light and the TRAC off light will both turn on. Since they’re both on, that will indicate both the VSC system and the check system are now off.
Wait for about 30 seconds and then press the VSC button one more time. Both lights should flash for a moment and then fade away.
If this method does not work, then at least you know that the bulb in the dashboard is not the problem. Now, this could indicate that the computer system has a glitch and is causing the VSC off light to flash.
The computer is glitching – Visit a Toyota mechanic so they can run diagnostics
When a vehicle’s computer system is glitching, you need to help the mechanic. The mechanic in the Toyota service center will have the diagnostic tools required to run through codes and interact with the vehicle’s computer system.
The gas cap is loose – Clean the area around the gas cap well and cover the gas cover securely
Reading that the VSC OFF light will flash off and on if the cap is loose sounds odd. But there are several forum posts on Toyotanation, Toyota’s official forum for Toyota vehicle owners, that complain about this exact issue.
One forum poster did not believe that the VSC off light was tied to his loose gas cap but when he cleaned the entire area around the gas cap and security over the gas tank opening, the VSC light turned off.
Conclusion
When the VSC light on your Toyota vehicle flashes, it could be that the gas cap is loose, the computer system is glitching, or the light and wire behind any flashing light are malfunctioning. VSC system stands for vehicle stability control and automatically turns on when it senses the vehicle swerving in an odd Direction. It helps the driver maintain stability and control
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