2005 Touring has had trouble with the VSA and the safe mode driving coming on for a few months now--if the oil is fresh-fresh-fresh it drives fine but if I have 1K miles or so on the new oil, it can happen again. I have 250K on the car and it's a money pit. I'm only repairing what I absolutely must while I save up for a replacement.
Today, I was on my way home in the rain. No AC (compressor got holed in March) but defrost was on both front and rear. Had been driving more or less 35-45 mph, then on the exit ramp, suddenly my parking brake indicator came on, the battery light came on, and it started flashing "check charging system," check ABS," and "check VSA," just sort of cycling through them all. Then all the dials like gas, speedometer, and thermometer, suddenly dropped down to 0 or cold, and clock was out. I made it to the nearest parking lot and called my husband to pick me up so we could try to figure this out. He got there, and the van started back up again, so we decided to try to limp it home. It would jerk each time I stepped on the gas, but no engine or belt noise. It did seem to have a slightly higher pitch, but that's all. After I got it back up to 35 or so, it quit jerking/lurching.
PLEASE tell me this is an easy/cheap fix! Your suggestions are welcome!
Today, I was on my way home in the rain. No AC (compressor got holed in March) but defrost was on both front and rear. Had been driving more or less 35-45 mph, then on the exit ramp, suddenly my parking brake indicator came on, the battery light came on, and it started flashing "check charging system," check ABS," and "check VSA," just sort of cycling through them all. Then all the dials like gas, speedometer, and thermometer, suddenly dropped down to 0 or cold, and clock was out. I made it to the nearest parking lot and called my husband to pick me up so we could try to figure this out. He got there, and the van started back up again, so we decided to try to limp it home. It would jerk each time I stepped on the gas, but no engine or belt noise. It did seem to have a slightly higher pitch, but that's all. After I got it back up to 35 or so, it quit jerking/lurching.
PLEASE tell me this is an easy/cheap fix! Your suggestions are welcome!
