An Electronic Stability Control System (ESC), also referred to as an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) prevents a car from skidding on the road due to loss of control (traction) when turning a corner, braking sharply or manoeuvring suddenly. If you ever lose steering control, the electronic stability control system will automatically activate the brakes and apply them to steer the vehicle in the intended direction. As a result, you will have control over your vehicle at all times.
ESC comes fitted in almost all commercial vehicles and modern passenger cars, given it’s a vital safety feature. But what does it do and how does it function? Let’s explore to grasp detailed information about this safety technology.
WHAT DOES AN ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM DO?
As suggestive by its name, ESC is designed to improve your control of the vehicle’s stability by automatically detecting loss of traction, applying brakes, and thus preventing the tyres from skidding dangerously midway.
HOW DOES AN ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM WORK?
Cars with Electronic Stability Control are installed with sensors to monitor the direction of travel as well as the steering wheel position. In case the car faces issues with the steering control, the technology will automatically apply brakes on individual wheels and will safely bring the car back on track.
Electronic Stability Control helps the driver maintain control in the following ways:
- Rectifying oversteering or understeering of the vehicle
- Stabilizing the car during sudden, hard manoeuvres
- Improving vehicle handling on gravel surfaces
To achieve the control, ESC comprises several pieces of technology working in cohesion. This includes anti-lock brakes (ABS) and traction control, to name a few, ensuring that the car is kept well under control and headed on the right track.
The system works in parallel with the vehicle’s computer. The sensors on the car detect when you steer, accelerate, brake, and forward the data to the central computer. As a result, the central system compares the car’s response against the input that you’re applying.
For example, imagine you’re driving on a wet road, want to turn left, and steer the car towards the intended direction. But it so happens that the car decides to ignore your instruction and keeps skidding forward, perhaps due to the road being wet and slippery. However, this discrepancy will be recognized by the vehicle’s computer which will instruct the ESC to come for rescue. The system will apply individual brakes to the wheel and compensate for the error that had followed. This will bring the car back on its track.
Electronic Stability Control System is a technology that is far quicker to respond than human instincts. It can effectively prevent skidding, emergency braking, and accidents. In other cases, when the car is going through an understeering issue, the ESC can decelerate the inside rear wheel as well as reduce the engine power until the vehicle is stabilised again.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL WARNING LIGHT
The System’s warning light turns on in two ways:
- Steady illumination
- Flashing or beeping
STEADY ILLUMINATION OF ESP WARNING LIGHT
The ESC warning light that comes on with a steady illumination indicates an inoperative system. When this happens, it is usually due to the following reasons.
- The system is switched off deliberately by either the driver or the passengers
- Temporary failure by sensor overheating
In either case, the reason is temporary and can be rectified with troubleshooting. If the sensors have overheated, you can allow the system to cool down, reboot it, pause for a while, and then restart the engine. It is important to note that some car models can automatically either fully or partially disable the Electronic Stability Control System on certain driving modes. By default, however, the ESC is always switched on and ready to help when the car loses control.
If the ESP warning lights stay on even after you have rebooted the system, such as after an extended resting period, it’s better to visit the car dealer or marque specialist to diagnose and fix the issue.
FLASHING/BEEPING ESP WARNING LIGHT
Unlike the steady light, if the ESP warning light is flashing while your vehicle is in motion, you are most likely facing a loss of traction due to which the system is intervening. This is primarily when the car’s internal computer detects one of the wheels slipping, and as a result, triggers the ESC to step in and help recover the control. When it gets back on the intended path, the light flashes briefly to indicate that it’s been done. Drivers may interpret this beep as warning to drive with better finesse or with more attention to grip levels.
Now that we have learned the ins and outs of the Electronic Stability Control System, we can see that it is an amazing feature in automobiles that significantly decreases the probability of accidents. It comes into play should the tyres’ traction be lost or the steering control loses stability. ESC is a powerful safety technology that has become a mandatory feature in all new cars. Therefore, make sure your vehicle is upped with ESC if you’re planning to buy one.
Since the majority of the modern cars today come with ESC fitted, you can easily find many used cars in the UAE for sale online with this feature. You may consider buying cars with Electronic Stability Control System by different automobile manufacturers. For instance:
- Used Audi for sale in the UAE online
- Second-hand BMW for sale online in the UAE
- Used Mercedes-Benz in the UAE for sale online
- Second-hand Bugatti for sale in the UAE
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more information on different car sensors and features.
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