warning lights after towing car. Help!! (pic)

[lauravanb]

The above picture is the warning lights that are on in my car after towing it. I towed it on a 5 hour trip, 2 wheels down on a tow dolly. It is front wheel drive, had the key on accessory position the whole time, parking brake was off. It was driven once we got to our destination, with no error lights. These only appeared after coming back. The only thing I did wrong was I forgot to disengage the parking brake for the first half of the way down the ramps when I unloaded. But these lights were already on before I backed it down anyway. I had only turned it on to disconnect the safety chains underneath, it was not on during towing. I can't think of what I did wrong! And I'm not quite sure what this means for my car!

[dbates]

Ava has a good question. I've pulled my Vibe on a dolly for over 50,000 and have never left the key in the ignition. Does your KIA or dolly manuals advise you to do this?

Dave

[Ava]

wondering why you need the key on at all if you are on a dolly?

[wnjj]

PUCampin wrote:

wnjj wrote:

AngryBert-63 wrote:

PUCampin wrote:

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

I can see it's usefulness on a manual transmission, but kinda confused why they would bother on an automatic :h

Autos still roll backwards on hills, and it eliminates the need to hold the brake...

Our Tacoma has (with auto) and it works great in our steep driveway. The little time it takes moving from brake to gas is enough to start rolling back without it. On gravel it's nice when it doesn't roll back. You don't have to stab the gas quickly and spin the gravel.

:B Yah I know autos will roll back, but you got 2 feet and 2 peddles, what's the issue? I learned to drive in the mountains with a 81 Dodge truck loaded with a TC. It had a NP435 with a stiff clutch and manual steering. No hill assist on that truck! Cars are getting too cushy these days, before you know it they will be driving themselves! (Am I starting to sound old? :B)

I took my original driver's test in a stick shift and I've driven 2-ton grain trucks with 2-speed rear axles and occasionally still drive a 10-speed Freightliner. I know how to drive without all of this "cushy" stuff so I hear ya!

In this case it's not really about whether there is another option but about making "normal" driving easier on difficult terrain. 2-foot driving works but is a little awkward and not second nature for most. Kind of like power windows when I know how to roll a crank.

[PUCampin]

wnjj wrote:

AngryBert-63 wrote:

PUCampin wrote:

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

I can see it's usefulness on a manual transmission, but kinda confused why they would bother on an automatic :h

Autos still roll backwards on hills, and it eliminates the need to hold the brake...

Our Tacoma has (with auto) and it works great in our steep driveway. The little time it takes moving from brake to gas is enough to start rolling back without it. On gravel it's nice when it doesn't roll back. You don't have to stab the gas quickly and spin the gravel.

:B Yah I know autos will roll back, but you got 2 feet and 2 peddles, what's the issue? I learned to drive in the mountains with a 81 Dodge truck loaded with a TC. It had a NP435 with a stiff clutch and manual steering. No hill assist on that truck! Cars are getting too cushy these days, before you know it they will be driving themselves! (Am I starting to sound old? :B)

[GMandJM]

Glad it worked out. I learned alot from your experience, too. Thanks all.

[j-d]

lauravanb wrote:
Pfew!!

I can identify with your relief!

I was doing brake work and turned the key ON with the front ABS sensors disconnected. Durned light came on and I figured it'd take some special scanner to turn it off. Drove a short distance and it went out.

Some on board computer must have seen that the rear wheels were turning and the front ones weren't and got upset.

[lauravanb]

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
I did the same thing with my truck and when I started driving it the lights corrected and went out. Could also just disconnect battery and it will reset.

Yep! We drove it around for about 2 minutes before the lights went out. The engine must have needed to reset its sensors. Pfew!! Thanks everyone!

[allen8106]

PUCampin wrote:

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

I can see it's usefulness on a manual transmission, but kinda confused why they would bother on an automatic :h

Likely its not a true automatic. Probably one of those manual trannies with electronic shift which makes it seem like an automatic.

[wnjj]

AngryBert-63 wrote:

PUCampin wrote:

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

I can see it's usefulness on a manual transmission, but kinda confused why they would bother on an automatic :h

Autos still roll backwards on hills, and it eliminates the need to hold the brake...

Our Tacoma has (with auto) and it works great in our steep driveway. The little time it takes moving from brake to gas is enough to start rolling back without it. On gravel it's nice when it doesn't roll back. You don't have to stab the gas quickly and spin the gravel.

[Winnebago_Bob]

PUCampin wrote:

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

I can see it's usefulness on a manual transmission, but kinda confused why they would bother on an automatic :h

Autos still roll backwards on hills, and it eliminates the need to hold the brake...

[turbojimmy]

Like other have said, lack of communication from a wheel speed sensor (potentially as the result of strapping it to the dolly) will disable all of that (trac control, ABS and hill stop). I would look for a disconnected or loose wire at one of the wheels. The $tealer will have the diagnostics to pinpoint which wheel it is. I would drive it around to see if it clears.

[Bumpyroad]

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

studebaker had the "hill holder" about 60 years ago. a great idea.
bumpy

[PUCampin]

GordonThree wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Hill start assist? That's what that is?

Detects if you are stopped on a steep incline and automatically applies the brakes while the engine builds revs, so you don't roll backwards while trying to start forward. Eliminates the need to use your left foot on the brake.

My Dodge Charger and Dodge Ram both had/have the feature, even works while towing - kinda handy.

I can see it's usefulness on a manual transmission, but kinda confused why they would bother on an automatic :h

[BarneyS]

Moved to Dinghy Towing forum from Towing.