Skid control light comes on for no apparent reason

Aptos Driver · #1 (**permalink**) 05-05-2007, 01:19 PM

I have a new AWD, six-cylinder RAV4 Limited which I bought a couple of weeks ago. The "skid-control" warning light has come on several times (with the accompanying beep) when the car was NOT moving. The first time it happened, I had just gotten into the car, closed the door, buckled up and turned on the ignition. It happened again twice a couple of days ago, both times after I had pulled into parking spaces and shifted into "park." I'm taking the car into the dealer tomorrow (they're open on Sunday) to have it checked, but has anybody else experienced this?

Aptos Driver · #2 (**permalink**) 05-07-2007, 04:23 PM

I should've said "slip control" light. It's just below and to the left of the zero-RPM position on the tachometer. I took the car into the dealer on Sunday and the mystified service adviser said to bring it back today (Monday) so that they could call Toyota for advice, if needed. When I got home from the dealer yesterday, the light came on and the car beeped at me again as soon as I shifted into "park" in my driveway. The RAV is now back at the Toyota dealer and I'm waiting to hear what, if anything, they've found out. Still wondering if anyone else has had this experience.

Aptos Driver · #3 (**permalink**) 05-07-2007, 07:15 PM

Back from the dealer. Of course, the sensor or whatever wouldn't do its thing while they had the car. They said they checked with "Toyota Techline" and were advised to pull the instrument cluster, check the contacts and reinstall it, which they did. And naturally, the damn thing came on again after I got home. I had parked the car in the driveway, turned it off and then decided I needed to move it forward a couple of feet. I did, and then as soon as I stepped on the brake, the slip control light came on once more and I heard the beep. I'm assuming that this is nothing to worry about, just to keep monitoring until somebody at Toyota figures out what the problem is. Evidently, they've never encountered it before. If anybody else out there experiences the same issue, please let me know.

kavatski · #4 (**permalink**) 05-09-2007, 07:48 PM

If you're in gear and stepping on the brake, you may hear a beep and see the slip indicator light flashing. This indicates that Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) has been activated. This feature is supposed to keep the brakes applied for two seconds to prevent the car rolling back on a hill while you move your foot from the brake to the gas. You turn on HAC by pushing on the brake harder than usual.

However, HAC will only work if the vehicle is in gear - not in Park. If you're certain that it's doing this when you're in Park, it sounds like a problem with HAC coming on when it shouldn't.

Aptos Driver · #5 (**permalink**) 05-10-2007, 08:59 AM

Thanks for the response. It's possible that I'm depressing the brake while I'm shifting from drive to park, and maybe that's what's setting it off. It hasn't happened the last couple of days. I'll try to pay closer attention to what I'm doing and in what order I'm doing it from now on.

kavatski · #6 (**permalink**) 05-10-2007, 09:07 AM

No problem. Kind of surprising that neither the dealer nor Toyota's Tech Line at least suggested it as a possibility, since it's a perfectly legitimate reason for the beep and flashing light. Hope that's all it was in your case.

rav4foley · #7 (**permalink**) 05-17-2007, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kavatski

If you're in gear and stepping on the brake, you may hear a beep and see the slip indicator light flashing. This indicates that Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) has been activated. This feature is supposed to keep the brakes applied for two seconds to prevent the car rolling back on a hill while you move your foot from the brake to the gas. You turn on HAC by pushing on the brake harder than usual.

In my 47+ years of driving I have never had a problem starting off on a hill, but then I have never driven in San Francisco. I think the HAC feature on a vehicle with an automatic tranny is good money spent for nothing. But, for the sake of argument, I tried the system on my 07 RAV anyway. I found that I had to press so hard on the brake to get the "beep" that it felt as though I was going to damage something. I don't recall having to put that much down force on a brake pedal even in a panic stop. I'm sure there are those who use HAC and like it but doubt that I will ever use it in my real time driving.
I'm only venturing a guess, but a sensor/switch sensitivity issue may be in question in both of our vehicles.

kavatski · #8 (**permalink**) 05-24-2007, 08:20 AM

HAC is more of an off-roading feature than something intended for city streets, and is found on other SUVs as well. Not sure why Toyota included it on the RAV4, but it does work as described.

arcivanov · #9 (**permalink**) 08-23-2007, 07:38 PM

No "money spent for nothing" whatsoever - it's a standard feature on a most basic model. I get the same if I stop on a red light and shift my weight on a break depressing it faster and harder than usual.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rav4foley

In my 47+ years of driving I have never had a problem starting off on a hill, but then I have never driven in San Francisco. I think the HAC feature on a vehicle with an automatic tranny is good money spent for nothing. But, for the sake of argument, I tried the system on my 07 RAV anyway. I found that I had to press so hard on the brake to get the "beep" that it felt as though I was going to damage something. I don't recall having to put that much down force on a brake pedal even in a panic stop. I'm sure there are those who use HAC and like it but doubt that I will ever use it in my real time driving.
I'm only venturing a guess, but a sensor/switch sensitivity issue may be in question in both of our vehicles.

mnorrell · #10 (**permalink**) 03-24-2008, 01:37 PM

Hi-
Just to let you know, we had the same experience with our 2008 AWD RAV4. The light would come on and flash when I was at a stoplight. I described it perfectly to my husband as feeling like the brakes were on when I then started to accelerate again.
Unfortunately, though I described it perfectly, it didn't translate to understanding at the Toyota service center. They took the car out for a wild ride trying to get the skid control to come on, and it never did. They totally ignored the fact that the light came on ONLY when I was at a stop already.....or didn't understand it.
These dudes at Toyota further convinced my husband that I must be driving with one foot on the brake when the other is on the accelerator. My husband told them he didn't think I drove like that, since I was once a manual transmission driver. He was right. I DON"T drive with both feet.
The car went back to the shop twice, and since the diagnostics showed nothing was wrong, both the dealership and my husband said nothing was wrong.
WHAT??? Nothing is wrong when no one can explain why a new light comes on with a beep for no apparent reason? Baloney.
I pushed the point and FINALLY, my husband got on line and found somewhere in Toyota's annals of information on this car that this feature was indeed supposed to come on when the brake was depressed past the initial stop position. And indeed, it is just like having a brake on when you resume acceleration.
I have since been more conscious of my foot on the brake, and it hardly ever gets activated anymore. The entire experience left me a little sour on Toyota's service department. My husband thinks it's not their job to know all the features of the cars they service. (Hmmm....would YOU agree with that?) My stance is that if they don't know, they should damned well find out, especially when a customer with a brand new car is repeatedly complaining about the same (potential) problem.
Regards.

Aptos Driver · #11 (**permalink**) 03-24-2008, 04:30 PM

I noticed that it only came on when I was still depressing the brake pedal AFTER coming to a complete stop, mainly when I was parking the car.

mnorrell · #12 (**permalink**) 03-25-2008, 08:17 AM

Depressing the brake pedal after you have stopped is how you activate the HAC. This is how the system is supposed to work.

grumpy in NH · #13 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mnorrell

Hi-
My stance is that if they don't know, they should damned well find out, especially when a customer with a brand new car is repeatedly complaining about the same (potential) problem.
Regards.

My experience has been, that until you develop a good relationship with your service dept, they tend to DENY warranty issues. I suggest you sit in the service mgrs office and DEMAND that he/she go on a test drive with you in an effort to get the issue resolved. I typically allow the dealer to perform major services 30K/60K and every other oil change - so I am in their database as a regular trusted customer. This will amplify their response to warranty issues. Also, be a "buddy" with your service writer, make some idle chatter, making you a real person will go a long way
Then again some service mgr are asses. To these entities, I will never go back again; but send a nice detailed letter to the Owner, Gen Mgr and Service mgr (separately). showing my displeasure and the fact they lost a customer over their asinine behavior.