Hi, I’ve taken the car to Honda dealer and they cannot fix the problem (although they claim they have.) VSA light comes after shortly after beginning to drive; intermittantly the car will suddenly hesitate on acceleration. Of course CEL is also on but I pay no attention to it.
CEL, VSA and whatever may all be related. Fix the CEL and it may correct the VSA problem. Take it back. Remember Honda dealer repairs carry a 1yr/12k warranty so keep that in mind when bill comes back especially for diagnosis fee’s etc.
“Of course CEL is also on but I pay no attention to it.”
Unless someone pays attention to the CEL and actually finds out what trouble code(s) have been stored by the vehicle’s OBD2 system, then the problem(s) will remain.
A steadily-illuminated CEL should not be ignored for long, otherwise one problem can cascade into multiple problems. If the CEL has been on for an extended period of time, there could already be multiple problems. When they achieve critical mass–so to speak–the CEL will begin flashing, which will mean that a very serious condition now exists.
Anyway, to return to the VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) issue, on most cars any kind of stability control will be automatically disabled when the CEL is illuminated. So, you have to resolve the issues that caused the CEL to come on, and that should restore VSA function.
Since the dealership was of no real help, you need to go to Auto Zone, Advance Auto, O’Reilly, Napa, or other parts retailer where the OBD system will be scanned for stored codes, free of charge. Come back to this thread, post the code(s), and then we can begin to explore the issues causing the CEL and VSA to light up.
Thank you very much, I will do that.
You need to take the vehicle to the auto parts store for trouble code reading WHILE the check engine light is on.
Took the car to my (non-dealer) Honda mechanic. He scanned it and found 2 undocumented codes. He reset the thing and the cel and vsa lights are now off. Remains to be seen if they stay off. Thanks for your help.
I am also having the same problem. The VSA light comes on shortly after I begin to drive and the car suddenly will hesitate on acceleration. There are two other indicator lights that come on but I do not know what they are. I believe one is the engine light. The other is a triangle with an exclamation sign inside. Is one of these the CEL you refer to? It just started so I haven’t taken it in yet. In your opinion, should I take it to one of the shops mentioned above or to the dealership?