mike508, a couple of things come to mind, though I'm not sure they'll be any help for you.

Your OBDII protocol is likely CAN (think it stands for controller area network), and therefore newer than what's in my vehicle. It's an additional confirmation your problem wasn't caused by connection of an OBDII reader. I have heard elsewhere of the VSC TRAC and VSC off lights being turned on by other emission failures (including catalyst and oxygen sensor problems) and yet I can't see any reason why the traction/stability systems should be affected by these other failures.

In my case the traction/stability lights came on when the system lost its yaw/deceleration sensor calibration. At first I also had an ABS light but that went away after a drive cycle or two, perhaps because the vehicle could automatically do that recalibration without any intervention by me.

It's not clear why the vehicle would feel the need to go into a safe or backup or limp-home mode after an emissions problem. It's possible that there is some unintended interaction between computer systems that is simply an accident, and is essentially a software problem that they've decided not to fix.

I share your concern about the previous (isolated) light show you had on a trip. That could be early warning of an intermittent failure that will bite you again. Fortunately you have documented the incident while still in warranty.

Sorry I can't be more help. I haven't had the same problem you have, though perhaps others will chime in with similar experiences.