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ABS & ESP- Won't Shift out of P

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abs esp shift
9K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  mrbadexample 
#1 ·
Hello all,

I have read many forums and posts regarding this issue, but haven't found any situations that replicate mine. Was hoping someone could chime in on what their opinion could be. While driving my 2010 451 passion home from work the other day, the ABS & ESP lights both came on simultaneously. A day or so before that, I noticed a small groan noise after I shut the car off, not sure if related. Once I got home and parked the smart, I restarted it, and discovered that the ABS & ESP lights came back on as soon as I depressed and released the brake pedal. Also, the car would not sift out of park. I am able to use the infamous yellow lever to shift, however I definitely don't have any braking assistance. My brake lights also do not light up, regardless of how much pumping or how hard I push the pedal. This issue began happening when we hit about ~30 degrees F, and there was a pretty good amount of rain.

So far I have replaced the brake light switch with an OEM one from the smart center in San Jose. That unfortunately did not phase the car, and the issue persisted. I have also left the battery disconnected for 3-4 hours with no luck. I am starting to run out of ideas as to what the problem could possibly be. Any help, pointers, tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I am wondering if it is possible that there needs to be some sort of "reset" that would force the computer top recheck the ABS and ESP lights...if perhaps there is a bit of bad code stuck from before I replaced the brake light switch?

Thanks in advance for all your replies and help!:D
 
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#2 ·
You need to have the car scanned with a capable scan tool that can interrogate all systems in the car. If the ESP/ABS lights are on there is a code stored in that system. That is the place to start. Whether any of the multiple faults are related can not be known until the cause or causes is identified.

The groan you hear after the car is turned off may just be the clutch actuator releasing the clutch. Can't hear it from here.
 
#3 ·
Is there a Check Engine light on? if there is, then you have an engine fault code. Most of the time disconnecting the battery will clear codes, but some codes will remain in memory even with the batt disconnected. especially with ABS or transmission errors. These also will need a specific code reader and most standard readers won't read them. May need a trip to the dealer.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hey guys, thanks for the input. After reading your suggestions, I decided it would probably be a good idea to check the fuses. Low and behold, a little 7.5 amp fuse was blown. Guess I learned my lesson about checking fuses before jacking the smart up on the lift and messing around down there. At least I got a brand new brake switch :shrug:

For others who may run into a similar problem, I attached an image. Ignore the red circle, I replaced the fuse circled in blue. The fuse is a brown 7.5 amp on a white block attached to the side of the fuse box. There's only about 3 of them.


Thanks again guys for this great community of smart people with smart cars. 'Til next time.
 

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