my long ride today turned out to be very short. Actually I didn't get out of the garage for about 4 hours.

Out of the blue I was greeted with ASC / Traction not available, or messages to that effect, and the amber ABS symbol was ablaze.

Since my new code reader is still en route from Amazonia, My options were limited. I did suspect all the rain I'd been driving in lately might have muddied up the wheel sensors. So I took them off and eventually they, and the relutors came clean. About the 3rd time I hit the brakes the warning light went out and the messaging disappeared.

One seemingly unrelated thing has cropped up however. When the car is in Park, and I press on the brake, I'm hearing the microswitch (??) under the shifter panel make a loud click. Up to now, it's gone about it's business silently. Does the new click mean the switch is headed for failure ? Or....... ??

Z

 

That is the shifter release solenoid. This is to make sure you press the brake when getting out of park. It usually makes a faint "thump", typically barely audible. Sounds like it is working as designed. I would ignore it for now...

 

 

In theory, that little plug on the trim can be removed to bypass the solenoid when that happens. It is detailed in the driver handbook.

Besides the difficulty of removing the trim, there is the additional risk of somehow cracking the wood veneer, and ending up worse off than when you started. For my car, I typically do not hear this solenoid on a day-to-day operation. I only hear it when I am paying attention, typically investigating something else. The noise should be somewhere in between the clicking of the brake switch and the window reset. Now, if a passenger was to mentions it, it would be too loud...

 

yeah, the clicking was previously inaudible, but beginning yesterday, you can not only hear it outside the car (with the windows down), but it's also a noticeable one-click vibration when you place your hand on the shifter plate.

Z