[desthemoaner]

Had a couple of warning signals flash up in the car earlier today, after reversing out of a parking space.

First it threw up "tyre pressure monitoring system malfunction", then "Hill Start Assist Off". Moments later the "stability control on" light illuminated (the little picture of a car with wavy lines behind it), so for a few minutes the car's interior became like a mobile Christmas tree.


I stopped the car, turned the ignition off, turned it back on again and restarted and the warnings didn't reoccur. I checked tyre pressures when I got home and all was fine. Went for another drive of about three miles and again, no repetition of the warnings.

Anyone any clues what might have happened? I read elsewhere that at least one of these warnings can be caused by faulty ABS sensors, but that's all I could find.



Cheers in advance.

 

[Gremlin]

First it threw up "tyre pressure monitoring system malfunction", then "Hill Start Assist Off". Moments later the "stability control on" light illuminated (the little picture of a car with wavy lines behind it), so for a few minutes the car's interior became like a mobile Christmas tree....
Anyone any clues what might have happened? I read elsewhere that at least one of these warnings can be caused by faulty ABS sensors, but that's all I could find.

could certainly be an abs sensor type issue,
though I thought the bmax used pressure monitors within the tyres rather than measuring relative speed.


but certainly stability control, and hill start will use abs/speed sensors


see if it happens again, and/or check 'codes' via the OBD port (on board diagnostics)

 

[desthemoaner]

Thanks for that.

Unfortunately I don't have a code reader, but the garage that sold me the car gave me a 12 month parts and labour warranty. With luck its a one off, but if it does happen again I'll give them a call.

 

[Gremlin]

Unfortunately I don't have a code reader,

might make a good Christmas present idea if someone is still looking for something for you ;-)get a Bluetooth one that works with a phone, and get a copy of the torque 'app'

 

[desthemoaner]

I've just had a quick browse online and code readers are much cheaper than I expected them to be. Would you recommend any one in particular?

Might as well go for it, then at least if I do have to take the car to the garage I stand a chance of not arriving in total ignorance. ;0)

 

[Nick]

Be careful with those "El Cheapo" OBD II readers. They are not designed for extreme temperatures and in some circumstances may mess-up CAN bus communication, causing the same symptoms that OP experienced in the first place

(it happened one of my cars on the hot summer day when I wanted to track engine temperature). Needless to say, reader ended in the trash never to be plugged again.

 

[desthemoaner]

Thanks for that, Nick.I'm going to do some research but certainly won't rush into buying an OBD until I'm as sure as possible of making the right choice. I do like the concept of a Bluetooth reader linking with an app on my Iphone, though as yet I don't know whether thats a better option than buying a standalone reader.

 

[vdragoslav]

"...I thought the bmax used pressure monitors within the tyres rather than measuring relative speed."

It seems you are right; I see these parts:

https://anunturi-auto.4tuning.ro/senzori-presiune-roti/ford/b-max/senzor-sistem-de-control-al-presiunii-pneuri-ford-9263502.html

https://www.pieseauto.ro/senzori-presiune-roti/ford/b-max/
Edited by: vdragoslav

 

[number6]

What actually triggers the warning? is it a preset pressure? If so, what pressure?Or is it a comparison with the other sensors? Any ideas, please?

 

[Skelly]

I bought an OBD scanner about 5 years ago off Amazon. Cost about 20 quid. Very easy to use and comes with a user guide. I've used it on Ford, Toyota and Jaguar vehicles to look at fault codes. Its called a U480 and just plugs into the OBD port.

 

[desthemoaner]

Thanks again.

The tyre pressure sensor issue is a really interesting one.


Its a shame there's no Haynes for the B Max, because a lot of the questions which are asked on here could be answered by turning the pages of a decent manual.

 

[cianpars]

I had the stability control light flash up on my Fiesta a couple of times. It stayed on for a few minutes, then went off again. Never caused any issues though and the stability control worked fine.Nor a single wheelspun in 20k miles.

By contrast, Ive managed to spin a front wheel on the b max several times already and my driving styles is unchanged.

 

[desthemoaner]

I suppose its possible that I did spin the wheels without noticing. It was dark, wet, and I was exiting a car park which has quite a significant ramp down onto the main highway, so perhaps.

Its not happened since, so I'm inclined to think that it was a passing quirk of the electronics. No idea why the tyre pressure warning flagged up, though.