Traction Control

[TEAK36]

Hi,
Please could someone explain to me what traction control is, and is it safe to drive a car if the traction control warning light is on.
I only bought the car (Rover 75) 2 weeks ago , and this morning the traction control light appeared on the panel.

Also, if the problem is serious, what sort of legal rights do I have with regards to getting my money back.I bought the car from a dealer, and have a receipt, but the car was purchased without any warranty.It has already cost me �40 to get the headlamp bulb replaced, and now this.

[tubeway]

Traction control is where you have a sensor on each wheel - if that wheel is sensed to be spinning (i e lost traction) - then the power to that wheel is reduced to enable traction to be regained. It is a safety thing but many people manage without it.

[Loosehead]

Further to tubeway, traction control is not at all needed it's just a safety feature that will stop you losing grip when the wheels would spin. If they just called it "anti wheel spin" you'd know what it meant. As you bought the car without warranty I wouldn't hold out much hope of getting anything back. Even with a warranty the traction control would probably be an exclusion (as would the bulb). Warranties are quite often not worth much, all the consumables are usually excluded, lights, clutch, tyres, anything that could conceivably wear out! Also in some cars the light comes on when the traction control is being activated, is it on all the time or did you put your foot down and it came on?

[TEAK36]

Many thanks for all your answers.

The roads were covered in snow this monring, and one of my colloeagues suggested this may be the cause for the warning light because the wheels are spinning a little.

Loeshead, the light is permanently on, but I only drove the car for 5 minutes this morning.Maybe when I go home the light will have gone off.

[almcd007]

It seems silly maybe to suggest but have you actually pressed the Traction Control Button ? You may have just caught it and turned it off ? If you press it and the light goes off - Traction Control will be back on. However if the wheels do start to slip the light usually starts to flicker or stays on for a couple of seconds.

I thought all cars purchased from a dealer had to come with a minimum of 3 months warranty by law?

All the specifics of T/C will be in your owners manual - it will be specific for your car.