A fault code doesn’t yet mean the unit or sensor itself is faulty: often it’s the plug and connector leading to it.
Possible causes
- The sensor connector: corrosion, water in the cabin
- The sensor itself
- ECU (rarely)
What you can do yourself
- ESP and traction control, and sometimes ABS, may not work. The brakes still work, but without electronic help — on slippery roads brake smoothly and don’t accelerate hard.
- The sensor usually sits in the middle of the car — under the center console or a seat: check its connector, especially if water got into the cabin or the console was removed.
- The sensor must be mounted level and tight: if it was removed or is loose, ESP intervenes at the wrong moments.
Stop and don’t drive on if:
- The red brake light is on, or the brake pedal feels soft or sinks
- The steering became very heavy, or the car pulls to one side when braking
OOleg’s tip: check the connector
Often the cause is simple — there is no contact in the connector (plug). Look at the connector from the back: remove the rubber seal and you will see whether a wire is corroded or has come off completely. Corrosion shows up as green deposits. Ideally, gently pull each wire towards you one at a time: a sound wire stays in place, while a corroded one simply comes off — it needs to be repaired.
Unplug and inspect connectors with the ignition off.
VSC is Toyota’s stability control system (the same as ESP). This is the Toyota and Lexus meaning. On other makes this number means something else: if your car isn’t a Toyota or Lexus, change the make at the top.
Source: Toyota 4Runner 1996–2002 repair manual (ether3al.com)
The explanation comes from the error code reference in the AvtoElektrik PRO app.