Did a strange light containing the letters “ESP BAS” just appear on your car’s dashboard out of nowhere? If so, you might not know exactly what it means or what you should do about it. While most people are familiar with the check engine light in their cars, they’re not always as familiar with the ESP BAS light. It’s why they’re often left wondering what move they should make next after they see it pop up on the dashboard in their car. If you’re wondering what to do right now after spotting the ESP BAS light in your car, you should take some time to learn about it. Find out what it is, what can cause it, and how you can make it disappear below.
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What Is an ESP BAS Light?
First things first: Let’s discuss what the ESP BAS light is. This light is one of the many warning lights that can be found on your car’s dashboard. When it appears, it usually means that there is some kind of problem with your car that needs to be fixed. And in this particular case, it means that there is an issue with either your car’s electronic stability program or your car’s brake assist program. In some cases, you might have a serious problem on your hands, while in others, you might be able to make an ESP BAS light go away with very little effort on your part.
Either way, you should try not to put off addressing the ESP BAS light on your dashboard for too long. Both your electronic stability program and your brake assist program play vital roles in your car. These systems are designed to keep you safe, which is why you shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the ESP BAS light on your dashboard. By fixing whatever is causing that light to come on sooner rather than later, you can restore the safety of your vehicle and protect both yourself and your passengers.
What Causes an ESP BAS Light to Turn On?
The ESP BAS light on your car’s dashboard is similar to many of the other warning lights on it in that there isn’t one particular thing that will cause it to turn on. There are actually a whole host of problems that can result in your car’s ESP BAS light turning on and staying on. It’s going to be up to you to try and get to the bottom of things by figuring out what’s going on with your car.
Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to do this. If you have access to a code scanner, you can pull the diagnostic trouble codes from your car to see what the problem seems to be. Or if you don’t have access to one, you can take your car to a mechanic and have them pull the codes for you. The codes will reveal what’s wrong with your car and uncover the reason why your ESP BAS light has come on. Here are several of the things that can lead to your car’s ESP BAS light turning on.
1. Issues With a Steering Angle Sensor
As we just mentioned, there are many different reasons why the ESP BAS light in your car might turn on. This is probably the most common one. There is a steering angle sensor, or an SAS, in your car that is designed to help your steering wheel work in tandem with the wheels on your car. It makes it possible for you to turn your car to the left or right simply by turning your steering wheel when you’re driving.
Every so often, a steering angle sensor will stop working in your car, and more often than not, it’ll lead to your car’s ESP BAS light turning on. And the ESP BAS light will stay on until you reset the steering angle sensor so that it can start doing its job again. This is, thankfully, very easy to do, even if you don’t have a whole lot of experience working on cars.
To reset a ESP BAS light, all you need to do is turn your car’s steering wheel to the right two times, turn it the left two times, and then return it back to the center so that your tires are facing forward. This should, with any luck, reset your steering angle sensor and get the sensor working in the way it’s supposed to again. It should also shut your ESP BAS light off and allow you to get back to going about your business.
2. Problems With a Wheel Speed Sensor
One of the things that your ESP and BAS systems do is monitor the speed of all four of your car’s wheels to make sure that they’re spinning at the same rate at all times. If these systems ever find that your car’s wheels are spinning at different speeds, they’ll spring into action and get them spinning at the same speed so that you’re able to maintain complete control of your vehicle. But they’re not going to be able to do this if you have a bad wheel speed sensor on one of your wheels, and they’ll turn your ESP BAS light on as a result.
If one or more of your wheel speed sensors ever goes bad, it’s a problem that you’re going to want to fix as quickly as you can. The last thing you want to have happen is for your car’s wheels to start spinning at different speeds. It could lead to you losing control of your car and potentially crashing it. This is one of the causes of an ESP BAS light that you’re going to want to fix as soon as you can.
The good news for you is that wheel speed sensors aren’t all that difficult to replace. They’re also not going to set you back too much money in the grand scheme of things. But that doesn’t mean you should drag your feet and let them linger for any longer than you have to. You’re going to want to replace them ASAP and make sure your ESP BAS light shuts off once you’re finished.
3. Faulty Brake Switch
When you press down on the brake pedal in your car, it’ll obviously start to slow your car down. It’ll also turn the brake lights for your car on to let those behind you know that you’re braking. There is a brake switch in your braking system that is in charge of turning this light on when you press down on your brake pedal. It’s important for it to work the way it should to ensure that others know you’re braking your car.
Every so often, this electrical switch might go bad on you, and when it does, it could possibly put you into danger if you’re not careful. But of course, there’s no real way of you knowing that your brake light isn’t working since you can’t see behind your car. So your car will often let you know there is an issue by turning your ESP BAS light. Once you check to see why your ESP BAS light is on, you’ll discover that it’s because of your brake switch.
Replacing the brake switch in your car is a relatively minor auto repair that should only take a few seconds to do. It’s also a very inexpensive job compared to many other auto repairs. But it’s going to keep you safe and turn your ESP BAS light off. You should be mindful of this and check to see if your brake switch could potentially be the reason it's turned on.
4. Worn-Out Brake Pads
While worn-out brake pads aren’t typically going to be the reason why your ESP BAS light comes on, it’s not out of the ordinary for this to happen. There are some instances in which your brake pads might alter the rate at which your car’s wheels spin, and when they do, they’ll cause your ESP BAS light to turn on. You should think about whether or not you might have very old brake pads on your car the next time the light comes on.
If your brake pads are the cause of your ESP BAS light turning on, you’ll want to have them replaced as soon as you can. This might be a job that you can take on yourself if you’re handy when it comes to cars. But most people will be better off trusting a brake specialist to get the job done. They’ll make sure your new brake pads are installed in the right way and see to it that your new brake pads lead to your ESP BAS light turning off.
How Do You Turn an ESP BAS Light Off?
As you’ve seen here, getting this light to turn off is actually a lot easier than getting most other warning lights to turn off. As soon as you’re able to determine why the ESP BAS light in your car is on in the first place, you can work towards shutting it off. Take these steps to turn your ESP BAS light off:
- Pull the codes from your car’s main computer using a code scanner
- See what is causing your ESP BAS light to turn on
- Arrange to have the necessary repairs made to your car to shut the light off
Generally speaking, you should be able to turn an ESP BAS light off within an hour or two. It’s not something you should have to stress out about too much.
How Much Will It Cost to Fix an ESP BAS Problem?
Any time you see one of the warning lights come on in your car, you’re naturally going to start to panic. Most people are under the impression that fixing a problem related to something like the ESP BAS light is going to cost a fortune. But that’s not often the case.
If your ESP BAS light is on because of a steering angle sensor problem, you might be able to get it to go off for free. You could get away with doing little more than resetting your steering angle sensor. You won’t be quite that lucky if you ever need to replace something like a wheel speed sensor. But even then, you’re only looking at a bill that will come out to be about $250 or so. It’ll make your car safe again and shut your ESP BAS light once and for all.
Is It Safe to Drive With an ESP BAS Light On?
Once upon a time, cars weren’t equipped with ESP and BAS systems. People managed to make their way around town without them. You might be able to make your way around town with them, too, which is why you may be tempted to drive around with your ESP BAS light on. It’s not necessarily going to put you in harm’s way.
But here’s something you should remember when it comes to your ESP and BAS systems: You never know when you’re going to need them! If you ever have to slam on your brakes for any reason, you’re going to need to rely on them. And if your ESP BAS light is on because they’re not working right, it could leave you in a world of trouble.
For this reason, you shouldn’t get into the habit of driving around with your ESP BAS light on. You should figure out why it’s on fast and fix whatever problem is causing the light to turn on. You’ll be so glad that you did if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need your ESP and BAS systems to spring into action.
Is It Possible to Sell a Car With the ESP BAS Light On?
If the ESP BAS light is on in your car right now and you don’t feel like fixing whatever is causing it because of how old your car is, you might be wondering if you can sell it. The answer is “yes!” While you might not have a lot of luck selling it the traditional way, you can sell it to a cash buyer for top dollar if you would like.
Cash Cars Buyer will happily hand over a stack of cash for your old car, even if the ESP BAS light is on. We’ll also haul your car away for you so that you don’t have to worry about putting yourself and others at risk while driving it to us. It’s a win/win situation for you! Contact us today to see how easy we make it for you to sell your old car.