[canada326]

I drive an 05 OBXT with 108,000 miles on it. I was having a little fun in the snow tonight and I got stuck in a snowbank. I managed to get myself free, but when I looked down at instrument cluster it was lit up like a Christmas tree. My CEL and ABS lights were on, the cruise light was flashing, and in the trip odometer it said ER 55 or ER SS, not sure which one. I drove the car home, about 2 miles, and everything appeared fine. When I got home I turned the car off then on again, but my cluster was still it up.

Any help here guys? I've owned her for a year and have had zero problems aside from this.

Any guidance or help is appreciated.

 

[plain OM]

The ErSS is indicating a LAN (computer communications system) data transfer problem related to the ABS wheel speed sensors. This could be due to various issues that can be raised when having fun in the snow; for example, snow can get packed around the wheel hubs, preventing the wheel sensors from detecting the magnetic signals from the hubs. The system can interpret this as a communications problem. This would shut down the ABS and so the ABS light comes on. And because of this the CEL is also turned on (the ABS wheel data is also used by the transmission control module, and possibly the engine control module.) And whenever the CEL is on, the cruise control is automatically disabled, so that light flashes. Similarly, spinning tires (brakes off) at different speeds can also confuse the ABS system with similar effects.

You might find that after the car is parked for a while and the snow melts off, the car returns to normal. But there's also a possibility that the fun in the snow dislodged a wheel sensor, or broke a wire going to one. In that case, the problem will remain and it will have to be checked out. But see what happens after the has had a warm break, and let us know.

 

[canada326]

After it was parked over night the ABS light and error message went off, but the check engine light is till on. I'll have ringer the codes read and report back.

 

[plain OM]

In many cases (depending on the code), once a trouble code is set, the CEL will stay on for about three complete driving cycles and then automatically go out (if it isn't cleared manually before then). This happens even if there's no actual fault during the three subsequent drives. It's a good idea to read the code in any event, at the least to confirm what happened, and in case the problem is more than a temporary one.

 

[canada326]

Follow up: After a day all of the lights turned off by themselves, but I wasn't able to read the codes. A day later we had more snow and I was stuck in my friend's driveway, and all of the lights came back on. But, sure enough, the lights went off the next day without getting a chance to read the codes. I'm starting to think my car just hates the snow, haha.

On a similar note, I thought I read somewhere on legacygt that there was a way to read the codes without an OBD2 scanner through the trip computer. I've tried searching on here and legacygt and I can't seem to find it. Is there any truth to this or am I mistaken?

 

[plain OM]

There is a way to read the DTCs in the trip meter, but it seems to apply to the 2006+; see this thread.

 

[BrianOBXT]

Driving to Tahoe this weekend (in some snow), I suddenly had the CEL and the VSC-off lights both come on, as well as a flashing "cruise" light and my SI Drive lights both start flashing. This was on Friday night. I drove the car both on Saturday and Sunday, and lights all remained on. Car drives perfectly normal. I used to own a 2003 Audi allroad and there was a common problem that 3 seemingly unrelated warning lights all coming on at once. It was never anything serious, and I hope this isn't as well, but I dropped it off at my local expert for a diagnosis tomorrow the morning.

Background on the car is it's got 70,000 miles, I just had new pads/rotors and tires/rims put on, as well as a lower ball joint and steering knuckle replaced, so there's been a lot going on with it the past few weeks. Hoping it's just a dislodged sensor of some kind and nothing serious.

 

[JaxSubie240]

I had a cheaper code reader ($49.95) and was able to clear the 420 and 420x codes for this problem in my 2009 Subaru Forester @ 112,230 miles. All is well for now. That has been a handy device over the years!

Update: maybe not so good. When I started it up the next day, it took a little longer. When on the road, it would stall when in idle at a stop sign or a traffic light. I had to shift to neutral to keep the revs up to prevent it from stalling. I guess i will have to reach out to my dependable mechanic (Kevin) and see what he thinks. May take a trip to the Chicago Auto show to see what is new and exciting? (Darn it... have just two payments left on my wife's Legacy. Argh!)

 

[RHBennett]

My fix for flashing cruise control light

Aloha,

Well I took my 06 OB to a local shop to get the code for my flashing light problem. Yikes $100 just for the code and no repair. Yet it did save me some more expense.

I got code P0171 Lean Condition fuel trim at 20%, recommend cleaning mass air flow sensor. Then reevaluate. May need to replace air fuel ratio sensor.

Well I replaced that oxygen sensor a couple of years ago. So I clean the air flow sensor. It can be found in back of the air filter box. I cleaned the filter and the sensor. The sensor cleaned up well with rubbing alcohol and a Q tip.

Disconnected the Neg terminal for 15 mins to allow the computer to reset. Reconnected the battery and walla. Took a few tries to get it to start up, it did ok and the Check engine and cruise control lights are now off.

So a common sense approach when those lights come on is to change the air filter and clean the air flow sensor first. Then spend the money for the code.

Hope this helps others.

rick

 

[vebop]

I had the same Christmas lights and and a stumbling engine while out of town over-night. Mine was P0172 and hoped it was just a dirty MAF. Spritzing with CRC sensor cleaner solved the problem and back to normal idle. This is the second time in five months so I anticipate a new MAF sensor shortly.

 

[Old Chub]

Aloha,

Well I took my 06 OB to a local shop to get the code for my flashing light problem. Yikes $100 just for the code and no repair. Yet it did save me some more expense.

...Check engine and cruise control lights are now off....

rick

Rick,

Are your lights still off after driving the car for a few run cycles? I ask because I disconnected my battery and the lights were back on three days later.

Also, did they charge you $100 just to tell you what codes were coming up, or did they do more than that for you?

With your model Outback you're able to see what codes are causing the check engine light by following this guide posted by ron917. I'd hope they didn't just say "oh it's Code P0171, that'll be $100 please."