2004 Tbird ABS and Traction Dash Lights | Page 2 | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models
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2004 Tbird ABS and Traction Dash Lights

My wife and I just bought a beautiful 2003 triple black deluxe convertible from a family friend who is moving into independent living. He has taken great care of the car and stored it all winters in IL. It has 41,000 miles and wasn’t driven the last two years. It just passed an emissions test. We have experienced an intermittent problem while driving at different speeds and temperatures. The speedometer goes to zero, the traction control light, ABS light, Brake Warning light, and wrench warning lights illuminate. We pull over, shut the car off and everything clears when we start it back up. We want to know what to expect before we begin spending a lot of money to fix this. I’ve been reading this is similar to issues with Lincoln LS and Jaguar S types, but haven’t seen anything conclusive. The codes point to ABS. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
@Blackbird2003 all your questions have been discussed in other threads. View the similar threads on this page below or use the search page to search for ABS light, traction control light etc.

This is what some people did to resolve-

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I have taken the car to Autozone and the two codes that came up pointed to a bad battery pack or ABS problem. Hopefully it’s just time to replace the battery!
If you can tell us the fault code numbers, we might be able to help you diagnosis your problem.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
Hello Doug7740,
Thank you for your interest.
I’m out of town so my wife took the car to Autozone last night with the check engine light on and these are the codes that came up:
P2106 Throttle Actuator Control System Forced Limited Power- I think this one is latched because the car was driving normally. No wrench, ABS, TC or Brake warning lights and speedometer was working.
P0442 Evaporative Emission System Leak Detected (small leak). This wasn’t a surprise. A local mechanic had told me that there is a small vent line leak above the gas tank. He said Ford would charge 5 hours to drop the tank.
U1039 Invalid or Missing Data (appears twice)
PO133 O2 Circuit Slow Response (Bank 1 Sensor1).
Autozone tested the battery. It was at 100%.
Autozone would not clear the fault codes for her.
The intermittent ABS code, Speed Sensor code and Battery Pack code that we saw at Autozone last week we’re not present (I don’t recall what codes they were). The seller has offered to cover the cost of fixing the emission system leak for us since he knew about it.
The car has just passed the Illinois emissions test so we agreed to wait until the end of the summer to address it, with the hope it might just go away since the car sat for two years and is now being driven again.
 
AutoZone most prob will NOT clear the codes for you, which is why I have my own scanner == the Blue Devil' you can clear codes and it will connect to the Internet database and give a list of fixes that have worked for a particular code for a specific car.

I'll just add that my 2002 Traction Control light came on mid-drive about a month ago and stayed on even after restarting the car...it eventually went out and I could not find any codes thrown that were relevant to that light - I did get an ABS code which I cleared; several hundred miles later everything seems OK, but we'll see. I hate intermittent electrical problems and these cars seem rife with them.
 
AutoZone most prob will NOT clear the codes for you, which is why I have my own scanner == the Blue Devil' you can clear codes and it will connect to the Internet database and give a list of fixes that have worked for a particular code for a specific car.

I'll just add that my 2002 Traction Control light came on mid-drive about a month ago and stayed on even after restarting the car...it eventually went out and I could not find any codes thrown that were relevant to that light - I did get an ABS code which I cleared; several hundred miles later everything seems OK, but we'll see. I hate intermittent electrical problems and these cars seem rife with them.
Thank you for the information. I just ordered a BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool from Amazon. I’m anxious to try it out and clear these codes. Reading the threads on here, it sounds like I could have cracked solders in the ABS control module and that would explain why the problem is intermittent. If I can confirm, I will send it out for repair. I’m very happy I found this forum!
 
Hello Doug7740,
Thank you for your interest.
I’m out of town so my wife took the car to Autozone last night with the check engine light on and these are the codes that came up:
P2106 Throttle Actuator Control System Forced Limited Power- I think this one is latched because the car was driving normally. No wrench, ABS, TC or Brake warning lights and speedometer was working.
P0442 Evaporative Emission System Leak Detected (small leak). This wasn’t a surprise. A local mechanic had told me that there is a small vent line leak above the gas tank. He said Ford would charge 5 hours to drop the tank.
U1039 Invalid or Missing Data (appears twice)
PO133 O2 Circuit Slow Response (Bank 1 Sensor1).
Autozone tested the battery. It was at 100%.
Autozone would not clear the fault codes for her.
The intermittent ABS code, Speed Sensor code and Battery Pack code that we saw at Autozone last week we’re not present (I don’t recall what codes they were). The seller has offered to cover the cost of fixing the emission system leak for us since he knew about it.
The car has just passed the Illinois emissions test so we agreed to wait until the end of the summer to address it, with the hope it might just go away since the car sat for two years and is now being driven again.
U1039 - Invalid or Missing Data for Primary Id Vehicle Speed
Network Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) occurs during module-to-module communication concerns. Invalid data is received from the Vehicle Speed Sensor.

U1039 Possible Causes
Faulty Vehicle Speed Sensor
Vehicle speed sensor harness or connectors is open or shorted
Vehicle speed sensor circuit poor electrical connection
Faulty Engine Control Module (ECM)


1628647231906.png

The vehicle speed sensor (VSS) (Figure 52) is a variable reluctance or Hall-effect sensor that generates a waveform with a frequency that is proportional to the speed of the vehicle. If the vehicle is moving at a relatively low velocity, the sensor produces a signal with a low frequency. As the vehicle velocity increases, the sensor generates a signal with a higher frequency. The PCM uses the frequency signal generated by the VSS (and other inputs) to control such parameters as fuel injection, ignition control, transmission/transaxle shift scheduling and torque converter clutch scheduling.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That part is cheap enough I'd prob replace it just on principle:
View attachment 18316
Thank you! I just returned home from 3 weeks of travel for work after purchasing the Blue Driver and yesterday I installed a new Vehicle Speed Sensor. This seemed to fix the issue for a day, But now the problem is back and possibly worse then before. I also cleaned the connectors for the rear anti lock brake harnesses.
The codes are P2106 Throttle Actuator Control System- Forced Limited Power (I think this is reactive to the other codes and I get the wrench after the ABS, Traction Control, and Red Brake Light illuminate).
U1039 Vehicle Speed Signal Missing or Incorrect.
P1000 Onboard Diagnostic Systems Readiness Test Not Complete (this code isn’t there every time)
P0500 Vehicle Speed Sensor “A” Circuit
Under “Anti Lock Brake Module Codes”
B1342 Right Sliding Door Latch Release Actuator
U1041 Vehicle Speed Sensing Missing or Incorrect.
U1262 (SCP) Data Link Fault
U2003 Audio Compact Disc/Disc Jockey Unit is not responding.
P2106 and U1039 are the two codes I see most commonly and regularly. I can turn the engine off and restart and this generally cleans up all of the dash lights for a while, it just depends on when they come back on. Sometimes immediately, sometimes 20-30 minutes or more. Any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated! Also, do you recommend a specific service manual? I see many different prices and formats available.
 
My wife and I just bought a beautiful 2003 triple black deluxe convertible from a family friend who is moving into independent living. He has taken great care of the car and stored it all winters in IL. It has 41,000 miles and wasn’t driven the last two years. It just passed an emissions test. We have experienced an intermittent problem while driving at different speeds and temperatures. The speedometer goes to zero, the traction control light, ABS light, Brake Warning light, and wrench warning lights illuminate. We pull over, shut the car off and everything clears when we start it back up. We want to know what to expect before we begin spending a lot of money to fix this. I’ve been reading this is similar to issues with Lincoln LS and Jaguar S types, but haven’t seen anything conclusive. The codes point to ABS. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
After verifying the codes on several occasions with BlueDriver, I replaced the vehicle speed sensor and no change, however I do see a correlation with the issue and the vehicle sitting for an hour or more. I just pulled out the anti lock brake module and cleaned the connector and pins. They didn’t look bad, but there was a lot of corrosion on the bottom module screw. The top two screws looked brand new. Does anyone have experience opening the module themselves to inspect the solders and for cleaning? I can’t tell if it is glued together or not. Thank you!
 
Many people run into the problem of the abs light coming on, the engine light coming on, the wrench signal coming on, the speedometer quits working, the power steering becomes inoperative in the 2002 to 2005 models. You instantly think the worse and momentarily say to yourself, It's time to get rid of this. Parts aren't made any more and all these lights must mean that there are numerous, expensive, problems to contend with. Keep an opened mind for a minute and pull the codes. Initially you might think that this is an abs computer problem or one or more of the wheel sensors, but in all reality it is probably something as simple as a $30.00 Output Speed Sensor, which is installed into the transmission. A very unlikely item in a very unlikely place, but it exists and does cause all of the above. Check it out. Hope this helps someone. Ron
 
Hi all. I have a U1262 1/3CM SCP message for ABS - any suggestions? Just bought a 2003 yesterday With 18k on the clock
cheers,
marty.
 
Hi all. I have a U1262 1/3CM SCP message for ABS - any suggestions? Just bought a 2003 yesterday With 18k on the clock
cheers,
marty.
I merged your question with an existing topic. You can find the answers to commonly asked questions using the search page.
 
DTC U1262 is a communication bus fault. A network communication test needs to be performed. The probable causes are Invalid data network faults or missing message network faults.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

Computer Data Lines.JPG
 
Hello everyone , I have a question on my 2003 bird with 107, on it , it runs great until today I got in started up and first noticed the parking bracket light wouldn’t go off than I see in middle of cluster the traction control light on and it also off at the switch , and the abs light is also on and the power steering is harder to turn as if it’s not working fully ?? So I started to drive it less than 1000 feet and a e code came on and than a wrench symbol came up so I stop and came back home
Just had it serviced and all was fine.
Do you guys think it could be the FCM. ?? That I read a lot about
Anybody else had these set set of symptoms ? This car has been very reliable !!
Had same problem after jump starting engine. Though it was ABS module or transmission speed sensor. Decided to take to Ford and $560 later they changed 40 amp fuse #22 in engine compartment fuse box (ABD pump) and all symptoms (lights, steering, speedometer, etc) were resolved. Felt dumb but relieved.
 
I have a transmission speed sensor code. Read all the related threads on related issues that I am working through, but I have a silly question. Where is that located on the 2004 tranny. I found a sensor at the front of the bell housing that does not look like the typical sensor sold by the parts guys. Normally they reside closer to the output shaft of the transmission. But I don’t see anything near it. Please don’t tell me it is up on top of the transmission where you couldn’t drive a toothpick with a sledgehammer to get to.
 
I had to replace the output speed sensor (OSS) on my '13 Expedition and it is inside the transmission. Ford wanted $1200 to do the work but I had it done by a shop that I trust for $750. The symptoms were not shifting and the speedometer was not operational. I didn't get any codes but it was an intermittent problem. Luckily there was a TSB that helped me to diagnose the problem.
 
I have a transmission speed sensor code. Read all the related threads on related issues that I am working through, but I have a silly question. Where is that located on the 2004 tranny. I found a sensor at the front of the bell housing that does not look like the typical sensor sold by the parts guys. Normally they reside closer to the output shaft of the transmission. But I don’t see anything near it. Please don’t tell me it is up on top of the transmission where you couldn’t drive a toothpick with a sledgehammer to get to.
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doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
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