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Traction control light flashes full throttle at highway speeds (sometimes doesn’t shift)

4K views 28 replies 12 participants last post by  Jessic_5 
#1 ·
I’m fairly new to this forum but I have transmission issue I believe but I am not sure. I have a 2013 Genesis coupe 3.8 8 speed automatic with 112k miles. I’ve noticed recently when I full throttle accelerate around freeway speeds. The traction light will flash and act like it’s spinning. The car is stock other than intake and exhaust so it doesn’t have the power to spin at high speeds but I noticed often it won’t shift into the next gear but the engine will rev up. I’ve only noticed this in regular “drive” mode and with traction control on, I have yet to test the issue with it off. Would anyone know what this may be, I get that it’s higher mileage and I have never had a trans fluid change since I’ve owned the car since 62k miles.

I’ve reason to believe it is the transmission slipping but I don’t understand why the traction light flashes. Could it be speed sensor? If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences I’d greatly appreciate sharing.
 
#2 ·
Unless I'm wrong the flashing light means the traction control system is working to keep the back tires from spinning.

Is the road bumpy? Like the concrete interstates/roads with the seams every few feet? If so it may actually be trying to spin the tires and traction control is keeping it from dong that and causing you to lose control of the car. My 2011 3.8 Track will flash the traction control light at 75 or 80 mph in 3rd gear on a concrete section of highway. Blink, blink, blink till I let off of the gas and shift to 6th gear. It's got enough torque at that rpm to "want" to break the back tires loose.

Forgot to mention mine's a 6 speed manual, 2011. So older, less torque/hp and it can't upshift till I do it.
 
#4 ·
The reason I don’t believe that is the issue is because I don’t really lose control of the car, and I don’t think it’s actually spinning, that’s why I was maybe guessing speed sensor, there’s no way the car has enough power to spin at 80+ mph. It’s also quite warm where I live in Florida. So it’s not cold tires, plus they’re new tires also, and it’s not wet either it was dry. And the road isn’t very bumpy it’s a fairly recently paved highway. I tried letting off full throttle to let the traction catch, and it will, but if I dump the gas again it does the same thing. I have yet to find out if it will do this every time. So I really think the trans is starting to go out because it’s had sluggish shifts for a while now. I just don’t understand the traction light.
 
#5 ·
So I will note there are aftermarket wheels and tires on the car with tpms but that shouldn’t be the issue. I know they’re staggered from factory and can’t be rotated, I do most basic maintenance on my own and I have certainly not rotated the tires. It’s staggered properly. I’m just thinking this is mechanical and I was hoping someone else has experienced a similar issue but I have yet to see it. Thanks for the input though I appreciate it, I’m gonna have to test it some more. I will state I have a tros potent booster but I see no reason as to why that would cause all this especially considering that the potent booster only messes with throttle.
 
#7 ·
Never said it was spinning the tires. I said the blinking light is telling you the system is working to keep you from spinning the tires.

Skidding car light on? Slip, Stability Control and Fault Indicators. | DashboardSymbols.com

Stability Control and Stability Control Off Indicators -- Skidding Car | DashboardSymbols.com

Which one is blinking? The one that says "off" or the other one? The one with the test "OFF" tells you the system has been turned off or there's some kind of malfunction.

The other one tells you the system is working to keep you/the car from spinning the tires.

It may not be the issue. I've seen it blink on my car but mine has a manual transmission so the computer can't shift gears on mine.
 
#12 ·
Never said it was spinning the tires. I said the blinking light is telling you the system is working to keep you from spinning the tires.

Skidding car light on? Slip, Stability Control and Fault Indicators. | DashboardSymbols.com

Stability Control and Stability Control Off Indicators -- Skidding Car | DashboardSymbols.com

Which one is blinking? The one that says "off" or the other one? The one with the test "OFF" tells you the system has been turned off or there's some kind of malfunction.

The other one tells you the system is working to keep you/the car from spinning the tires.

It may not be the issue. I've seen it blink on my car but mine has a manual transmission so the computer can't shift gears on mine.
I see what you mean, I tested this all again on Friday and it didn’t have an issue, but yesterday it did the same thing, traction control light flashed upon full acceleration on the highway and wouldn’t let the car upshift. It’s the light that comes up when you do a burnout or spin, the normal traction control light. It just blinks like normal but like you said it’s working to keep me from spinning the tires which still frankly makes no sense at 80+mph. I have not turned the system off either, but clearly it doesn’t do this every time it’s hit or miss which is even more odd.
 
#8 ·
I see you noted the tires are staggered properly. FYI I just solved a similar issue with my manual trans., but I rotated the tires by mistake and the guys here helped me solve it. So I know for a fact that if the tires are not exactly what the diameters were like 225/xx/18 front and 245/xx/18 rear this will happen. I could rev to redline in 1st thru 4th but when I would get into 5th and over 80MPH the car would flash the traction control light and cut boost etc. and that was the fastest it would go.

Just make sure they are correct sizes and not off by very much if they are larger. The staggered diameters are what matter. Turn off traction control to prove it.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the reply, so they’re staggered properly as far as I’m concerned but I will note that they’re aftermarket wheels and tires, don’t remember if I said that but they are 245/40/19 on an 8.5 wheel up front. And 265/35/19 on a 9.5 wheel in the rear. I didn’t think that would have anything to do with it but if it does that’s interesting. One thing, the front tires are kinda shitty all seasons and the rears are Yokohama advan sports, much softer. I did this because I at the time I couldn’t get the same tires all around and replaced the rears way earlier than the fronts. I will note the car probably needs an alignment pretty bad too.
 
#16 ·
I believe that shadowtrench is correct. You have to keep a similar RATIO between front and rear. By using 35 series in rear you actually decreased your ratio. Had you went 265/40/19 in rear you wouldn't be having this issue. You can just turn TCS off until you buy new tires again? 1.5% ratio is low enough to cause this at 70+ mph.
 
#19 ·
Yea it doesn’t do it with tc off. I tested it a few more times. Sometimes it doesn’t even do it with in on. It’s random but that makes sense that ratios being that different would mess it up. I just got a 265/35 cuz I thought 40 sidewall would rub.
 
#17 ·
2nd that, shadowtrench is 100% correct and that is your problem. I learned that like genny26 did…the idiots at the shop that balanced my tires reinstalled the staggered rims incorrectly front and back. Messes with the wheel speed calculation and thinks they’re slipping. The calculation “error” doesn’t become large enough to activate tc until you’re at highway speeds. Getting on the accelerator hard while going ~65+mph will immediately trip it.

You didn’t mention, but did this problem happen to start soon after you installed the new tires with the improper ratios?

P.s. now is the perfect time to change your tranny fluid if you plan on keeping the car longterm :cool:
 
#20 ·
2nd that, shadowtrench is 100% correct and that is your problem. I learned that like genny26 did…the idiots at the shop that balanced my tires reinstalled the staggered rims incorrectly front and back. Messes with the wheel speed calculation and thinks they’re slipping. The calculation “error” doesn’t become large enough to activate tc until you’re at highway speeds. Getting on the accelerator hard while going ~65+mph will immediately trip it.

You didn’t mention, but did this problem happen to start soon after you installed the new tires with the improper ratios?

P.s. now is the perfect time to change your tranny fluid if you plan on keeping the car longterm :cool:
Yes the problem is new. I got the tires around October but never really got into the throttle too much. The front and rears are different. I have Firestone firehawk a/s up front which are kinda shitty but they got replaced for free so I just dealt with the front and rears being totally different tires. But that shouldn’t matter right. If the rear was a 40 mm sidewall it wouldn’t do it? At first I was hoping this issue had nothing to do with my tros potent booster, I’ve been told it’s def not an issue especially now that this is clarified. But I will note on a side note, when I rip it with the throttle controller on it tends to shift later and make more out of each gear. I’m assuming that’s normal? Maybe I should ask that on a separate thread?
 
#27 ·
Hi :) I was looking for some answers with my Genesis and came across this thread. I’ve been noticing the exact same issue with my 2010 in the last couple months, only after I reach about 120-130km/h…. Did you ever figure out what the issue was? I’m worried it’s going to be the transmission, hoping you found it was something much cheaper lol
 
#29 ·
As soon as I read this I called the garage to ask if they rotated my tires at my last oil change, despite what the paperwork said. They said they wouldn’t make that mistake with two different sized tires, plus it wasn’t on file that they touched the tires at all. Just brought it in this morning for another oil change and to look at the transmission and was told they actually had rotated the tires! I’m so relieved to not be needing a new transmission on a 2010 lol Thank you for your help on this thread, I wouldn’t have known to ask that without the advice of such smart people 😊
 
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