TCS light would come on intermittently then be off then on for two days. On the third day Battery light and TCS light come on, and stayed on. I towed to dealer 5/26 and it took until 6/5 for them to get warranty approval and part just to change the alternator. I am told by dealer that the steering sensor also needs to be replaced but the part will not be available until 2021! That is 7 months! I even have a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty (thank god) but they informed me that after 100k miles, rental car is no longer covered. Now the dealer is telling me that I can drive with this TCS warning sensor on for 7 months. My question is: what all does that TCS (squiggly tire) light warn about and is that called a steering sensor by dealership service departments. If I go pick up the car tonight like they want me to, what am I risking? Is it truly safe to drive my car for 7 months with a steering sensor not working? Will it endanger me while driving for 7months and ignoring that warning light?
WOW lifetime warranty, good for you. TCS is for traction control and will cut power to a wheel if it starts to slide/skid. It is a nice safety feature but until it was introduced many millions of cars did not have it. If you frequently drive on wet or sandy roads TCS is very important. On dry roads it does not offer too much.
My 2008 Corolla had it and it was nice on snow covered roads. But I had to turn it off once trying to grind my way up an icy hill. The road was so slick that both drive wheels were spinning and within a few seconds I had no power to the wheels. I turned it off and while not ideal, spun my tires up the hill. My daughter worked at a health care facility and had to get to work, dad was her ride that night.
Thanks for the info that I won’t be committing suicide by driving her while waiting for the sensor. I am in So C
al, rarely rains and traffic is so bad,well was so bad, now that things are opening again I am sure my 10 minute drive will be back to my 45 min. 11 mile commute in no time. Smartest thing I ever did was pay a ton for that warranty. THANK GOD. It Covered faulty radiator led to installation of cracked radiator. Low and behold, engine blew (hemi) at 99k miles! $100 deductible for a new one. Have been thru win mod fail 4 mo. wait for that part. FOUGHT WITH chrysler and was reimbursed for rental car AND fobs after taking the fight public and contacting executives directly. Pretty much anything you can dream of has been replaced except the leather seats, the headliner and a thing connecting dash to air vent. But man when she runs, she is perfect to me. I still love her after 12 years.