Ok, so I have a 2003 bonneville SSEi with about 70,000 miles on it. As I mentioned, I am receiving the stability system active message not unlike other people. I have taken it to the dealership several times with little success. They mostly tell me that there is no error so no problem. Once they had me change all my tires and brakes and another they changed the steering wheel sensor. I continue to receive this problem and my frustration continues. Can anyone help me?

If it is a wheel speed sensor problem a history code will be set in the chassis codes viewable by a tech-2. This will tell you what bearing may need replaced.

exactly Todd is right on...

the dealer needs to scan for chassis codes. if you have the SSS on the dash, then there is a code set

Most people receive the "Service Stability System" message, not the "Stability System Active". Do you hear the brakes activate when this comes up? Is it just displayed intermittently, or is it on more than off? Does this occur just while going straight or while making a turn? If the system thinks it is doing the right thing...it may not set a code. I would think this would rule out the WSS.

Other parts of the system include the yaw rate sensor, and the lateral accelerometer...not to mention the electronic brake control module itself. Check the connections to all of those. I believe one member found a loose connection or ground to the lateral accelerometer under the back seat.


The yaw rate sensor, I believe is in the trunk, behind the back seat, and the EBCM is under the hood...the thing that has all the brake lines leading to it, the lower front driver'* side. If it'* not throwing a code, the dealer may have to scan a bit more to find which part of the system is activating when it shouldn't.

X2

This message is just telling you that your system is working and is active. It is either happening during hard braking or cornering, or slippery conditions.

Thank you for the replies. Here is some more information that might help. I was getting the check stability system light until the steering wheel sensor is replaced. Now I am getting the stability system active during normal driving, for instances if I go over train tracks. In my opinion, this is not normal for the stability system. The ABS does kick in and I dont have much control over the car then. Also they tell me that there are no codes and when the car is driven, the sensor they hook up is reading one tire moving at a different speed than the others.

If one sensor is showing a different rate of speed than the others, replace it

Train tracks should not set off your Stability System, you are correct. Sound like you have a faulty WSS (wheel speed sensor).

ABS is basically a function that allows you to steer when the car is out of control. It does not help you stop quicker.

Correction, I did already have the steering wheel sensor replaced. If it was a faulty sensor, I would love to have it replaced, the trick is getting the dealership to do it. They dont want to do anything because no error code is being displayed when being checked.

Generally, as Haro says, tracks should not cause a 'Stability System Active' message. There have been other members with similar complaints while going over speed bumps and similarly rough terrain. Have you checked everything Archon suggested yet? These systems are often troublesome to repair because the symptoms are frequently intermittent. My experience has often been that if no code is stored and the dealership can't reproduce the problem, you probably won't get a satisfactory resolution. This may take some persistence.

ABS will do both functions. By maintaining the greatest amount of friction possible between the tire and the road surface, stopping distances will be shorter. When the tire is sliding on the contact surface, there is less friction than when it isn't.

I wonder how much of these parts are warranty if they are in fact faulty. I also wonder how I can convince my dealer to work on my car considering the last I heard from them was that they "didnt want to just throw parts at it" in order to fix it.