296 Problem with ESC Activation

You might want to check your tyre pressures, even though the TPMS should have notified you.

 

I took delivery of my car in April and I've had an ECS alarm almost the entire time. The car rides fine, no issues or abnormal behavior. The car has been back to the shop three times, in fact the last go around was for 4 weeks trying to locate the cause. Ferrari NA and Italy have been involved, they changed out an EVAP sensor, however, that didn't solve the problem. I got it back last week and the next day the alarm came back. It's going back to the shop tomorrow. There is some belief that it may be a SW issue and or a sensor issue but it's been a tough issue to resolve. While it's frustrating, I also understand that it's a new model and sometimes these issues develop. The positive is I see an effort being made by Ferrari to correct it.

 

Not good to hear that the next trip to the dealer would be your fourth for the same problem which should 1) not occur, or 2) be resolved with one thrip. Makes me anxious about my 296 which is not yet in production after two years. Please keep us informed.

 

It's frustrating, total time in the shop 7 weeks and no resolution. As I said the car is working 100% but having a intermittent ECS alarm isn't good. Ferrari has been good to work with, they know I'm angry but I have no choice, has to get fixed. I'll keep you posted.

 

I am 4 hours from the nearest Ferrari dealer, ugh

 

I never had any issues (ESC or other) with my 296. I also never saw any issues occur with the 8-10 cars we drove the crap out of for two full days on Fiorano during Corso Pilota in Italy

That said. I’d recommend taking it to the dealer.

 

I wonder if and how this issue will afect brake pad wear !

 

The engine control system failure alarm isn't impacting any car functions, service centers have gone through the car in detail. It's a ghost alarm indication. When they run diagnostics, it doesn't point to any problem which is what's odd. Something is triggering it yet they can't find any issues. It was at Ferrari of Naples twice, once for a week and then 4, Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale for 2 weeks and today went to Ferrari of Pam Beach. I'm willing to be patient, lot's of smart people working to solve it. People saying it could range from software, a bad sensor or even a loose wire somewhere. Who the hell knows, so will rely on the experts to solve.

 

Has anyone else experienced the issue that the OP describes (way overactive ESC)? I am wondering if this is a one off gremlin - I experienced this with my car last night - or something that requires a technical fix.

 

I did experience the light coming on during a mountain run, which seemed to specifically involve downhill LEFT handed sweepers. The light would flash, but i didnt really notice any intervention. I discussed this with an Audi R8 technician who happened to be on the drive, and we both suspect a wheel speed sensor.

I'll mention it when I bring in the car for service. Tire pressures were good, though I haven't gotten to work to optimize them yet.

 

My recently delivered 296GTS indicated a Engine Control System failure on day 2 of ownership. I got the alarm (dings for a couple of seconds), and the onscreen warning language (Engine Control System Failure, go to dealer), and also got the solid Amber engine light in lower left side of the main screen. The ECS warning language disappears after 10 seconds and does not come back On until the next restart. The Amber engine symbol remains illuminated. The car functions without any problems and everything works as it should.

I reported it to the dealer and scheduled service, but drove the car everyday for 5 days before they came to my home to try to service the car. The car was fine with exception to getting that warning during every startup. They tried to service it at my home by performing a diagnostic check and resetting the warning using equipment they brought to my home. It seemed to be fixed. Later that day the message appeared again during startup. They returned and picked up the car to work on the problem at the dealership. The dealer was in contact with Italy and they provided guidance on a series of checks and tests to do to try and locate the problem. It was during these checks that the tech found a slightly "crimped" (bent) tube of some type (might have something to do with air flow), so Italy sent that replacement piece to the dealer and they installed it yesterday. They indicated the car was tested yesterday, driven several miles, and has been restarted several times without throwing that warning, so they believe that replacement fixed the problem.

The car is on its way to me as I'm typing this comment, I should have it in about an hour. I will test it and post my findings in this thread later today or tomorrow. If the warning returns, it will be sent back to the dealer to continue searching for the problem. If that part replacement does fix the problem, I'll try to get the name of the part and post that as well.

 

The part they replaced solved the problem. I've been testing the car for the past 4 hours, multiple startups, 20+ miles of driving, and no more Engine Control System warning light. The problem was a pipe that has something to do with oil delivery and the plenum. It had somehow been twisted/crimped and caused a negative pressure reading that triggered the warning light. Italy had the replacement part to my Florida dealer in 2 days, and the dealer did the repair and testing the same day they received the part (yesterday), and they delivered the car back to me today. The support from both the dealer and Italy was excellent. I'm reporting the above in case someone else has the same problem.

I now have the car back and working perfectly.....time to hit the road!

 

ESC, ECS : - tomato, er ... tomato

 

It appears the posts in this thread are commenting on two different problems. Mine was with the engine control system (ECS), and that's the warning language that showed in the dialogue box that opened during every startup. There are also posts above commenting on the "Electronic Stability Control" (ESC) failure warning, and I did not have that warning, so my comment on the part replaced is only relevant to anyone getting the engine control system failure warning. Just want to be clear (because of a separate message I received asking for clarification).

 

@JimPVB would you mind posting the part number that was replaced and any screenshots of the final work order that you could share so that any of us that may run into this issue can try to point our local service team to this as a potential cause?

Thanks!

 

I'm unsure of the part number, but might be 772341. Here is the relevant language from the report:

"During inspection of engine oil vapour recovery system piping, found the pipe from the oil tank to the intake plenum on the left side to have been pinched with one of the pipe brackets (too tight). Removed bracket from pipe and un-pinched pipe."

My note: After un-pinching the pipe the diagnostic testing continued to report an anomaly in that area. The dealer was instructed to replace the pipe and Italy immediately shipped the part expedited and the dealer completed the repair, and the report stated:

"Replaced the Vapors Recycle Pipe from Air Int. Man, installed back previously removed parts from vehicle, measured crankcase ventilation pressure after vehicle at idle"......(all checks were normal and vehicle was delivered back to me).

My take on all of this is that it might be a "one off" related to my 296GTS only, given it was a pipe that was apparently damaged during assembly by excessive tightening of a pipe bracket. That said, it's certainly something to be looked at if an owner is getting the same ECS warning.

 

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This part number (772341) is indeed an oil tank pipe, found at eurospares for the 296 GTB, GTS and Challenge.

 

I assume those areas of the engine system are installed by human hands, so mistakes can happen (like over-tightening a clamp), which is why I think my case may not be relevant to other owners experiencing that ECU failure warning, but at least it's an area to check. According to Service, there are many "things" that can trigger that warning light.