Cause
Faulty traction control switch
The switch by which the driver disables traction control, faulty so the request is misread. Its whole purpose is to let the driver turn the system off where intervention is unhelpful — in deep snow, mud or sand, where a little wheelspin is what gets the vehicle moving.
A switch reporting permanently pressed disables traction control without the driver asking, which is a genuine safety consideration rather than an inconvenience, and it may do so with no warning beyond a lamp the driver has learned to ignore. A traction control lamp that is always on with no other fault is worth checking here.
A switch that never reports means the system cannot be disabled, which is the milder direction and merely frustrating. These are console-mounted and heavily used, so worn contacts and spilled liquid account for most failures. Watch the reported state while operating the switch — one that flickers, sticks, or does not change is the fault, and a static resistance check at one position will not reveal it.
Typically specialist work. Needs equipment or training most home workshops do not have.
Codes this can cause (2)
Codes where this is a likely explanation first, rather than merely a possible one.
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