Traction Control Problem

Hi all, New to this site and would be grateful for any advice please. I have a Freelander 1.8XEi 2000 since I bought it for most of the time the HDC warning light has been on. It has been reset a couple of times but is very persistent, although it appears to cause no problems.

Recently we went on a trip (180 miles each way) and on the way the TC light came on after 150 miles (70mph) and the car immediately lost power. We had to stop the car, turn the engine off, wait 10 seconds and then start off again. During the week (normal driving) we had no problems then on the return journey the same thing happened 9 times, luckily we made it home. The car has not played up since although we haven’t done any motorway driving. Does anyone know what could be causing this problem on the motorway when the car is driving steady at 70mph?

welcome to the forum.

which HDC warning light is it ?

as for the TC warning, I can't really see how it would cause the engine to lose power, it works by applying the brakes on the slipping wheel, rather than cut the engine power. It certainly shouldn't be detecting slipping wheels or applying the brakes at motorway speeds.

Get the vehicle on some wet grass, and floor it in first and see if the TC warning flashes on then. You should at least get an idea of how it works and when it flashes.

Usually, the TC and HDC warning lights come on together with the ABS warning, commonly known as the 3 amigos. If you do a search on here, you will find a wealth of information relating to this.

Good Luck, and keep us posted.

Hi again,

The orange (!) HDC light is on and the ABS light only flashes on when the car is first started, it has never shown up afterwards with the other two lights. I can only say that it was exactly that what happened, feel daft now, but it was. The TC light came on and instantly the car had no power and the same thing happened 10 times in total, 70mph, so I was ready for what was going to happen - bizarre.
Will try the wet grass test too.
ThanQ !

Could the traction control think the wheels are 'slipping' when they are really going at fast speed? The power dies then the car judders a little, could this be the brakes? Clutching at straws here.....
We have found out since returning that the HDC button (yellow on gear stick) doesn't work, what change should we feel when it is engaged and working as it has never been used before by us?
Once again, any help much appreciated.

Update FYI - Took Freelander to garage (non dealer) who immediately found the fault and fixed it. New potentiometer and ally housing. All light off and HDC now working correctly Finally! Cost £ 130 inc VAT so I think I was lucky really. Just glad to have it ok again.

Glad to see that you had your problem fixed. I have a similar problem in that my tc warning light is constantly on. I have tried the wet grass verge test countless times but it is difficult to detect wether the tc itself is working or not. It could be a sensor i suppose but i am unsure where to look. Did your garage tell you anything that might help this problem, or is there anyone else out there that has any suggestions?
Thanks