ESP Error

Jackiechan005 · January 17th, 2011, 10:39

On cold starts when it takes a little longer to turn over, I get a message on the MFD,"ESP error" as the engine turns over and it beeps. The engine turns over and the message goes away. Not sure what the ESP has to do with starting the engine. Any thoughts?

Biffster · January 17th, 2011, 10:50

Your car is having difficulty reading your mind.

Jackiechan005 · January 17th, 2011, 11:17

I found this article : http://www.justanswer.com/vw-volkswa...weeks-ago.html

I have the same issue, except my car turns over. I will check to see if my ECM wires are corroded.

OldManWinter · January 17th, 2011, 14:08

@Jackie - Are you waiting for the glow plug light to go out before you crank it?

Jackiechan005 · January 18th, 2011, 05:01

I do wait for the glow plug light to go out

MayorDJQ · January 19th, 2011, 01:32

Corroded ECM wires? Do you live down wind of a salt factory? I seriously doubt you have corroded wires on such a new car.

Are you still under warranty? If so, get it to a dealer and have them scan it. It could be a sensor problem.

How cold is it for these cold starts? Any issues on warm/hot restarts? Your more likely culprit is a weak battery. Despite the car being so new, there have been '09 TDI owners who had to replace their batteries when the car was still fairly young.

T D I · December 24th, 2011, 15:49

Just had the exact same thing happen to my 2010 Jetta TDI last week, but after 25 cranks I got it running... It's been a year since the original message was posted, has anyone encountered this problem before? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
D.

MayorDJQ · December 24th, 2011, 16:50

Start reading the Iced Intercooler thread.

740GLE · December 27th, 2011, 07:09

ESP uses ABS controler, a yaw sensor, and a sensor on the steering rack. My guess is the steering rack sensor may be loosing continuity when shaking/cranking over. Not sure where the sensor is located but would be worth a try locating it and double checking the connection.

T D I · December 28th, 2011, 15:32

It was an iced up inter cooler, dealer quoted me over $1500 for a kit to fix their design flaw since my warranty ended 4000 km ago... Thanks for the tip MayorDJQ... After the numerous problems with this car - from check engine light leading to glow plug sensor replacement, to the recent fuel line recall and replacing several door latches, this might be the last nail in the coffin of me leaving the brand...

MayorDJQ · December 29th, 2011, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by T D I

It was an iced up inter cooler, dealer quoted me over $1500 for a kit to fix their design flaw since my warranty ended 4000 km ago... Thanks for the tip MayorDJQ... After the numerous problems with this car - from check engine light leading to glow plug sensor replacement, to the recent fuel line recall and replacing several door latches, this might be the last nail in the coffin of me leaving the brand...

I hear ya. I would go back to an ALH TDI in a heartbeat if I could find a decent one that didn't have a ridiculous price tag on it. Another idea I've been toying with is a Ford Focus. It's rated for 39mph highway and people on Fuelly.com seem to be getting those numbers. My friend and neighbor also happens to work at a Ford dealership, and I can get a discount on Ford, GM, or Crapsler products through my job, since the company has such a large fleet of the Big 3.

The dealer (VW only!) that checked my I/C pipes yesterday played dumb about even knowing there was an ongoing issue. After I asked about the TSB (which I left a printed copy of on the seat) he then admitted that he's gotten "probably 50" calls about people having similar issues and VW is working on a fix. I asked about the already-existing intercooler kit and again he played dumb, but then admitted that he ordered 5 to have on hand but they're on backorder.

My frustration level was high yesterday.

T D I · December 29th, 2011, 13:03

I am waiting to hear about my complaint at VW Canada. Ironically I just this morning paid off a 2011 golf 2.5. After buying two VWs in as many years, I expected to be treated better than this. Especially since this is an existing issue and I am only 4,000 km over warranty.

My next course of action will depend on what their reply is. Another dealer I spoke with reported over a dozen TDIs being found to have ice in there recently.

There are good dealers and bad dealers, I have seen both. Sorry to hear about your VW experience with this. Was considering a Ford as well...

PlaneCrazy · December 29th, 2011, 17:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by T D I

I am waiting to hear about my complaint at VW Canada. Ironically I just this morning paid off a 2011 golf 2.5. After buying two VWs in as many years, I expected to be treated better than this. Especially since this is an existing issue and I am only 4,000 km over warranty.

My next course of action will depend on what their reply is. Another dealer I spoke with reported over a dozen TDIs being found to have ice in there recently.

There are good dealers and bad dealers, I have seen both. Sorry to hear about your VW experience with this. Was considering a Ford as well...

Sue in small claims court. Known defect, etc. Worth a try. More folks should do it. I've had the issue, but when I took the car to the dealer was told "couldn't reproduce the problem". It's documented and you can be sure if it ever happens when the warranty is expired (in about 45,000 more km) I will be pointing to the documentation, and will be suing if they don't fix it. It's my 5th VW, and my wife is starting to think of a replacement for her B5 Passat (230,000 km). If there's going to be a sixth, they'd better step up to the plate.

pkhoury · October 27th, 2012, 21:28

Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread. I got the same error, and I'm getting all KINDS of crap in VCDS. In my case, it would say ESP error while I was driving, the car would shut off, and I shifted to neutral and started back up (so as not to cause an accident).

sflier · October 28th, 2012, 05:26

Sounds like a low battery. I bet the voltage is dropping below a minimum and it sets a warning indicator. That beep also goes off on mine if I forgt to wait for the glowplug light to go out before cranking.