Traction control light comes on every now and then, also car looses power and doesnt move much, but it goes off and the car is fine, but diagnostics picked up the error code below. what does error code DSA - 221 ( or just 221 ) mean

Asked by NEIL_7106 Sep 28, 2016 at 08:43 AM about the 2001 Volvo S40 Turbo

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Traction control light comes on every now and then, also car looses power
and doesnt move much, but it goes off and the car is fine, but diagnostics
picked up the error code below.

what does error code DSA - 221 ( or just 221 ) mean

1 Answer

30

Is the DSA light still on? When you start the engine, there is a "handshake" signal communication between the engine ECU and DSA module - the DSA-221 code tends to be logged when the signal is of a lower frequency than what is expected. However, the DSA-221 fault code is also logged during an ECM reload (together with a coolant temp sensor code) so I'm wondering whether this has remained since you have the software upgrade done. Ideally you want to have the ECU read and cleared with VADIS or VIDA and then see whether the code returns. It is possible to look at addressing this issue in the ECM software but that should only be a last resort as it could affect other diagnostic features as well. In the first instance, I would recommend cleaning the idle air control valve (with carb cleaner) on the car and also open the throttle stop a little (without causing the engine idle speed to rise) - is the idle speed on the car rock solid or does it fluctuate a little?

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