VE Equipe SportWagon ABS and ESC Faults

[HinterlandBryan]

Hi everyone, ive trawled though the forums and can’t seem to find anything definitive on this, so hopefully someone can help.

Bought my ’11 VE Equipe Sportwagon second hand in June this year from a reputable Toyota dealer here on the Gold Coast. She had 45K approx. on the clock and was in near mint condition. The day I bought here I took her to my local mechanic who checked it over and said it was a good buy.

A couple of times over the next few months I notice a ginding noise when I brake within 30 seconds of start up (backing out of the driveway etc). As I park on grass in front of the house I never thought anything of it and I sort of assumed it was just the car not being happy due to the cold.

2 months and nearly 5000 km in, and one morning on start up the ABS Fault and ESC Fault lights come on. I drive it back to the dealership and leave it there for the day for them to fix. They run a diagnostic on it and can’t find anything. Topped up the brake fluid and then call me to come and collect it. I drive home no problem that evening.
The next morning, drive to Brisbane, no issues. Mid morning I hop in the car and the ABS and ESP lights come on again.

Did a quick search of the forums on my phone and see a lot of people reporting sensor failures. I continue to drive the vehicle however at lunchtime as I am leaving Westfield Carindale the car does something funny. I turn the engine on, and the ABS and ESC lights come on. Within 10 seconds of me driving out of my parking bay they flick off, and an awful metal on metal grinding noise comes from the engine. I put a bit of pressure on the brakes and the car sounds like im dragging an iron pole along the ground to stop it. There is a lot of tactile feedback on the brake pedal and the brakes aren’t entirely effective. About 20 seconds later the ESC and ABS lights come on again. I carefully drive to the exit and then head back down the coast.

The next day, drove around the coast doing a few errands. No ABS or ESC lights all day and no issues with brakes. I’m pretty happy as I’m thinking its fixed itself. Pull out of the car park at Harbourtown (as I had done the previous day in Brisbane) and the car briefly makes a metal grinding sound from the engine, probably about 3 seconds, before the ABS and ESC lights flick back on. Head home, then an hour later head out to get dinner. Have a mate in the car with me. ABS and ESC lights remain on, then as I’m pulling out of the car park with dinner, they disappear, a really bad and loud grinding noise comes from the engine, brakes pretty much don’t work and there’s really bad feedback on the brake pedal. Take my foot off the brakes and throttle and coast and theres a “thud thud thud” noise coming from the engine, like somethings trying to engage. The car fills with a very distinct burning smell. Suddenly (about 15 seconds after it started) the ESC and ABS lights come on and the engine grinding noise and feedback on the brake pedal go away.

I don’t use the car again, and get it towed back to the dealer Monday morning. They think there’s a leak in the brake fluid and a faulty sensor is causing the ABS to engage unnecessarily, causing the air in the brake fluid (from the apparent leak) to result in the grinding sound. They think they’ve fixed the problem, one of the mechanics takes it home for testing that evening. ABS and ESC lights come on again the next morning. Next they think it could be a faulty ABS system, so send it to their other GC branch for an ex-Holden mechanic of theirs to have a look. He has a tinker and thinks hes fixed the problem, but the problem reappears when they get it back to the branch closest to me. They can’t get a decent diagnostic reading, so send it over to a Holden dealership to have a look. Holden determine all the sensors are okay it’s just a faulty harness. Replace harness and send it back to my Toyota dealership.

So I pick up the car, when I turn on the ignition the Check Engine light comes on and stays on. It only turns off when I turn the engine on. If I sit in the car with the keys in the ignition the only light that stays on on the dash is the check engine light. Other than this the car starts fine and works fine. Happy days im thinking its fixed.
Fast forward 10 days, and as im driving into the office in Brisbane suddenly the ABS and ESC lights come on again. Get it towed back to Toyota from Brisbane, who in turn send it over to Holden. They determine the rear left hand speed sensor has failed. I find this odd as it was supposedly working fine when they checked it 2 weeks ago. They replace it and send it back to Toyota. I pick up the car noting the check engine light still does not go away until the engine gets turned on. That was yesterday.

Today, drove the car into the office, no radio or anything just listening for sounds. No major issues but I’m rapidly losing confidence in the car. At the office I call Holden and speak to the mechanic who fixed my car most recently. He says only thing to do is book it in for a diagnostic and they’ll check. Im booked in for Tuesday next week. This evening, get in the car, and sure enough, “thud thud thud” noise from the engine, scraping noise when I push the brake, and tactile feedback on the brake pedal. This is all at underground car park speeds. This lasts around 15 seconds before it goes away, no ABS or ESC fault light came on this time though. Car returned to normal and is now sitting in my driveway.

So, fellow Commodore enthusiasts, has anyone had any issues similar to this? Any other things I should try? I thought it could be the custom wheels (which were on when I bought the car), but the dealer assures me this won’t cause any issues. What should my next move be? I am hesitant to drive the car due to the brake issues so it will probably spend the weekend in the driveway and I’ll get it towed to Holden Monday morning.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.