Flashing BRAKE light, ABS+VDC solid

Last night i drove over to a friends house to drop off a few things. When i got back into my car and started it up the BRAKE light was flashing and the ABS and VDC lights were illuminated.

 

After doing some reading online i found out that the VDC can only work if the ABS is functioning properly.

 

Turning my focus to the solid ABS light and the blinking brake light.

 

As far as the brake light goes i read that The brake system warning light flashes when the electronic parking brake system is malfunctioning.

 

However the parking brake seems to be working as intended. No issues engaging or disengaging.

 

- I checked out my lights for any blown bulbs

- I verified that i am not using LEDs

- I have inspected the gas cap for any potential damage or cracks

- I inspected the wiring for the wheel sensors and made sure they were snug

at the plugs.

- Brake pads are all new

-Brake oil is at the correct level in reservoir

-Unplugging the battery for an hour does not reset the lights

 

 

The lights come on as soon as the car is switched to on, and the issue is persistent. What stumps me is that everything was working perfectly fine before i shut my car off.

 

 

Can anyone think of anything else i can try or look into before i bring my car into the shop?

Edited May 27, 2020 by dmac802

Cant tell in the photo but the brake light is flashing ~

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by dmac802

The cruise is flashing as well... It's how you are warned about an error code or check engine light.

 

You need to have your engine codes pulled. I think some parts houses will pull them for free still.

How is your battery voltage? Low voltage can cause all sorts of weirdness - the lights are telling you there's a fault of some sort with the parking brake as well as the ABS system - does ABS work still? As already suggested, scanning for any codes present would be pretty informative!

Not sure of the current battery voltage but the battery is new (4 months old) and starts my car up with ease.

 

The ABS is currently disabled.

 

 

I am going to take the battery off of the car and plug it into my trickle charger for a couple of hours and clean up the terminals.

 

 

 

Correct me if i am wrong but im under the impression that the parts stores only posses the equipment to read CEL codes. If i want to get the ABS code i would need to visit the dealership is my understanding. I will edit this and remove any false info to keep any future readers on the right path.

The CEL should show an ABS code.

Also - if you are any sort of DIYer, and like to diagnose things without bringing the car in, a decent scanner is a solid investment. Plenty of good ones for very little $ - it only gets expensive when you want bidirectional control, etc.

Juiced up the battery, cleaned the terminals and connectors but still no luck. @ stew my CEL is not illuminated.

Your check engine light doesn't have to be illuminated to store a code. Any non-engine related codes won't light it (for example, wheel speed sensor codes)

My mom’s Outback did this or something similar when she had an evap system code. The car *lost its freaking mind.* Turns out she had left the gas cap off. Cleared the codes with a code reader after putting the cap back on and it was fine after that. You wouldn’t think an evap code would disable half the car, but apparently it does...

 

Maybe that’s all it is?

 

 

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@COCO thank you for clearing that up for me. I wasn't aware of that but it does make sense.

 

@schwarze The cap appears to be in fine condition and is nice and tight.

 

 

I found a local shop that specializes with Subarus and they offered to pull the codes for me. In return, if the issue is out of my hands i will have them do the service.

 

My gut is telling me that the issue is going to be wheel speed senor related with the passengers rear. I recently got the bearing replaced and my assumption is that the sensor was probably knocked around during the work.

 

I'll let you guys know what i find out tomorrow, thanks.

Also - if you are any sort of DIYer, and like to diagnose things without bringing the car in, a decent scanner is a solid investment. Plenty of good ones for very little $ - it only gets expensive when you want bidirectional control, etc.

 

 

Would this one be a good choice?

 

iCarsoft Multi-system Scanner i903 for Nissan/Infiniti/Subaru

 

Should work with my year make and model just want to make sure its a true

multi system tool.

I am not familiar with that brand. I prefer the bluetooth tools nowadays, anyway - I have a couple - a cheap elm 327 one (there are gazillions of them out there and they all look the same - blue, transparent plastic housing, couple of LEDs and a sticker for whatever vendor is selling them - plenty of them on Amazon and eBay for around $10) that I use with Torque on my phone, as well as an OBDlink MX+ that is a bit more full featured, has the enhanced stuff for Honda, Ford, etc. and also will work with iPhones as well as android (if you have an iPhone, many of them aren't compatible) - I have an older wired autoxray unit that works fine, as well, but it's a simple LCD so no graphing, etc.

Mechanic cleared two ABS codes about sensor low voltage and the ABS light went away.

Third code couldnt be cleared.

 

VDC and flashing parking brake light are still on.

 

Mechanic suggested that recent heavy rain had probably gotten into the ABS module.

 

Going to look into the remaining code and see what i can dig up.

Edited May 29, 2020 by dmac802

I may have just solved the last issue. (or found the procedure, at least.) Codes match and my shop also couldn't clear the last one. Going to show them the attached TSB and see if they agree.

 

https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/fix-for-dtc-c0074-c0075.518099/

It worked!! As a precaution i printed out the TSB before heading to the shop so that i could be as clear and concise as possible with my request. The dealership told me that they're systems were down and could not look up the fix themselves and that i needed to come back. I showed them the paper and persisted that they give it a shot and reluctantly they did. Because their systems were down and because i had done the diagnostic work myself previously i was only charged for a half hour of labor. I just wanted to give a final update to anyone else who might find this in the future.

 

 

 

 

TLDR;

 

 

If you are experiencing a flashing brake light and a sold vtc light on your dashboard, and you cannot clear the code c0074 then you should try resetting the brake pressure sensor with a ssm3 before you replace the entire module. TSB # 06-41-11

good research man, this could save people a lot of headache and a *lot* of money in the future.