2004 4Runner Sport VSC Problems

[ChadSWhitney]

I would like to start out by saying that the forum and the user input here is amazing. The pride and commoradrie of the 4runner community is nothing like I have ever really found before. That being said...I recently purchased my first 4Runner after much thought about which new car to purchase however I have been experiencing problems with it as of late. The VSC system will kick in even when their is no loss of stability or traction and this is presenting a rather dangerous situation. A couple examples of what is happening.
1) I am on city streets and take a small curve at around 15mph in which I have no loss of stability. I hear a beeping sound, the vsc light turns on and the car brakes/turns.
2) I am on the highway and at higher speeds, I take a medium curve (again no loss of stability or control) and the same thing happens.
The problem has been growing so bad that I have to drive with the center differential locked so that VSC is disabled. I would like to discover the source of the problem so that I can get it fixed immed. Any suggestions?

 

[Baba Booey]

Welcome, and I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I would recommend having it looked at right away and NOT driving with the center diff locked, especially on dry roads.

You may end up doing damage to the driveline with the center diff locked, and this could end up being a more major problem than the VSC issue.

 

[ChadSWhitney]

I made an appointment at Molle Toyota for Saturday. It current has 45,2xx miles so it is under the drivetrain warantee to 50k... Hopefully it is still covered. Any idea what to expect taking it in?

 

[TheBlueWave]

I made an appointment at Molle Toyota for Saturday. It current has 45,2xx miles so it is under the drivetrain warantee to 50k... Hopefully it is still covered. Any idea what to expect taking it in?

I don't know what you will expect in terms of downtime, hopefully its just a small wiring problem.
Instead of locking the center diff, unplug the wires (in a harness, one plug for several wires) from the front of the ABS control unit. That will disable the VSC system so you can drive with the center diff open.

 

[wolfgang]

Powerline warranty in US is 60k miles - quote from yota website:

Powertrain: 60 months/60,000 miles (engine, transmission/transaxle, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, seatbelts and airbags).

 

[ChadSWhitney]

I took it to Molle Toyota where they eventually resolved the problem. I dropped the 4runner with the service writer and went to the waiting room to kill some time. After approx an hour the service writer came back and told me that there was no problem with the car. Myself and several others driving the car have experienced the problem, so I know this isn

 

[boston_kevin]

Sounds like some gray area here... The drivetrain is usually physical parts (u-joints, gears, etc). The area you hit was a sensor issue being out of calibration. You could try to fight it, but it might cost you more in time and effort than it's worth.