H3 Traction Control Problem

[smitham]

I need help with the traction control on my H3. This morning my wife got into the truck to drive to work, and when she backed out of the drive and started to drive down the street the traction control kicked in and almost completely stopped the truck. When she let off the gas for a second it finished it?s fit and she could give the truck gas again, then another 1000 feet down the street it did it again. Note we live in Florida it was +70 degrees and dry outside. The truck did this a couple of times then finally quit and she was able to drive to work.

When she left work it briefly came on (traction light flashed for a sec and went off) but it did not put on the brakes and slow her down. When I got home from work I drove the truck and it did the same thing to me as it did for her. Does anyone know what is going on? I did find that if we hold the traction control button for 5-8 seconds and disable the traction control we don?t seam to have a problem, but something is not right. We are trying to set up an appointment with the service department, but for some reason Hummer of Orlando?s phone lines are down today, so we have to wait until tomorrow.

[marin8703]

I dont know whats going on but thats freaky. Im guessing either the computer is going nutz or maybe a sensor or two are reporting the wrong info, but then that should cauze a problem code. My guess is the software is encountering a bug somewhere in the code and thats why, but cant say for sure. could be worse, better to stoping the car randomly and than to accelerate it rite?! good luck and carefull driving.

[whaaaaT]

holding down the button only turns off the stability control not the traction control so that shouldnt help anyway.

[smitham]

After the first occurance my wife called onstar and they checked for codes and found nothing.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by whaaaaT

holding down the button only turns off the stability control not the traction control so that shouldnt help anyway.

I have not had the the need to turn off either, but this is from a bulletin issued by Hummer for '06 model year vehicles:

"This message is to provide clarification to the function of Traction Control and StabiliTrak on the HUMMER H3. Information provided in the Owner's Manual on how to turn off these two features is somewhat conflicting. Automatic transmission-equipped vehicles have StabiliTrak, standard transmission vehicles do not. To turn off both Traction Control and StabiliTrak, the traction control button must be depressed and held for at least 5 seconds. On standard transmission vehicles, the traction control button need only be pressed and released to disable Traction Control."

As for the symptom. I have to check on something, but it could be a defective wheel speed sensor (since I doubt if you have installed stainless steel brake hoses), or the EBCM could be defective or the program scrampled. (I doubt a sensor, since it would react in forward as well as reverse and screw up ABS.)

[H3PAC]

Sounds like it's possessed! I had the stabilitrac kick in for the first time yesterday on an icy corner. It was a very weird experience. I can't say that I liked the vehicle taking control....but it was very brief and probably kept me out of trouble. I can't imagine what it would be like on dry pavement under normal conditions.

[tomp]

ABS sensor on one of the wheels is out and TC thinks it has wheel slippage

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by smitham

After the first occurance my wife called onstar and they checked for codes and found nothing.

Probably no codes. Did you go to the dealer yet? If not, if you can hold off a day or two.
Check your PM, I have some information, that I cannot release on an open forum.

[whaaaaT]

strange maybe something is wrong with mine too then. Cause that **** dont turn off. The stability turns off not the TC. I had problems with it at the beach. Sometimes it will prevent wheel spin and you dont go anywhere you just sit there twitching in the sand. And when you turn it off it says stability off but the TC stays on and even though the little light is glowing steady. It will blink when the TC is working. Someone else go try to turn theirs off. Cause mine definatley doesnt turn off. Someone go put your h3 on a hill of lose dirt and turn off the TC and see if that light blinks. The little car with the skid marks.

[marin8703]

Originally Posted by whaaaaT

strange maybe something is wrong with mine too then. Cause that **** dont turn off. The stability turns off not the TC. I had problems with it at the beach. Sometimes it will prevent wheel spin and you dont go anywhere you just sit there twitching in the sand. And when you turn it off it says stability off but the TC stays on and even though the little light is glowing steady. It will blink when the TC is working. Someone else go try to turn theirs off. Cause mine definatley doesnt turn off. Someone go put your h3 on a hill of lose dirt and turn off the TC and see if that light blinks. The little car with the skid marks.

same here, when its turned off with the button, there is still something on because wheel spin is still being controlled.

[hummerabia]

Sounds a bit freaky, but an ABS sensor sounds plausible sending the system into confusion. On mine you can only knock off the Stability System the TC continues to work and usually helps keep you out of a bind......most of the time...

[justforfun]

Hang on a minute - if you press and hold the button for the 3 secs or whatever it is, the DIC flashes with "STAB SYS OFF" right? (Auto trans I'm talking about...)

Now, at this point are BOTH the TC and Stabilitrak off, or only the Stabilitrack switched off?

I switch mine off all the time when we hit the desert otherwise it gets a bit annoying - 4 Hi Lock in soft sand - wheels spin and are slowed down etc... I have to say, it feels as though the TC is off, but the central diff working well to maybe give the impression of TC ???? Also, when STAB SYS OFF, I've had the car in powerslides in mud (I know, need to grow up ) - that ain't gonna happen with TC is it?

F5 - definitive answer please?

Cheers
JFF

[fourfourto]

If you apply brake traction is disabled.

[marin8703]

with the stab off in the DIC when I apply the brakes or step on the gas the tc kicks in. next time im at dealer i'll ask em what the deal is.

[smitham]

Got the truck back from the dealer tonight. It appears that one of the wheel speed sensors was bad. This made the computer think that one wheel was not going the same speed as the other 3 and then the computer took over from there.

[whaaaaT]

i dont have a locker. It kinda makes sense that your traction control isnt kicking on like ours is if you guys have a locker locked cause the wheel on the opposite side is spinning the same speed all the time now. Even if you spin both wheels are spinning exactly the same speed so hows it gonna apply the brakes to the slipping wheel? In the front your TC probly turns on a little but your moving damnit and im sitting there flooring it while my car crawls for some reason in sand. I've actually noticed that if i put it in 4 low i start off better but its no fun. I wanna throw sand around in 4 hi.

[tomp]

That's what I posted above

Originally Posted by smitham

Got the truck back from the dealer tonight. It appears that one of the wheel speed sensors was bad. This made the computer think that one wheel was not going the same speed as the other 3 and then the computer took over from there.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by tomp

That's what I posted above

And I posted before you, (As for the symptom. I have to check on something, but it could be a defective wheel speed sensor").

However, where is the original poster? I'm curious as to if the fix I told him about took care of the problem. Possibly, he won't be back until there is another problem?

[smitham]

So I thought things were all good when we got the H3 back last night. The dealer cleaned a speed sensor and thought all was well. As it turns out all was not good. When my wife took the truck to work (8miles) and then to lunch (4-5 miles) everything was okay, then when she was on her way home the mystery brake applier showed up again (she was going +/- 45mph down a major road 4 lanes each way and the truck just slammed on the brakes and applied traction control all at once). At this point I told her to pull over and call on-star and get the truck towed to the dealer.

At the dealership I was able to talk to our actual tech and explain everything (I also shared the info that f5fStop provided me). We plugged in the Tech II and scanned all the modules and found no codes, so we went for a drive with the Tech II attached to see if anything seamed wrong, well as luck would have it, the truck worked perfect. So now the tech is going to drive it tomorrow until it duplicates the problem.

[f5fstop]

Have the tech go to his computer and to TIS2WEB and download the new calibration that is available for the problem of ABS/TC unintended operation after a reverse maneuver. It can't hurt, and may be the fix.
Let him know there will be a bulletin issued on this in the next week. But the new cal is in TIS2WEB already.
Guarantee it won't harm anything, I have been running around for over a month with the calibration in the controller and all is well. However, I never experienced the unintended brake apply like you are. (I'm just the local Guinea pig with a 2006 H3 and the programmers all know that.)