Traction Control System: How it Works and When to Use It

Traction Control System Quick Facts

Traction control is an active safety feature that prevents wheel spin and helps your car maintain grip on slippery or dangerous surfaces, especially during acceleration
Traction control and stability control have been required on all new cars sold in the U.S. since 2012, and should generally remain activated for maximum safety.
The only time you should turn off traction control is in rare situations like getting stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice.

Driving at night during a rain or snowstorm can be a scary experience, especially when you have to worry about your car losing traction, hydroplaning, or, worse, potentially crashing.

Traction also comes into play if you’re driving around a steep curve or on icy roads. Those conditions could significantly impact the traction of your tires. While nearly every car has an anti-lock braking system (ABS) light that comes on to notify you when you are losing traction, engineers found a way to help prevent losing traction at all. This advancement comes in the form of traction control.

Keep reading to understand traction control, how the safety feature works, and how to use the system so you can drive safely.

What Is Traction Control?
How Does Traction Control Work?
What Does the Traction Control Warning Light Indicate?
When to Use Traction Control?
Where to Find the Traction Control Button
When to Turn Off Traction Control
What’s the Difference Between Traction and Stability Control?

What Is Traction Control?

The traction control system, abbreviated “TC” or “TCS,” is an active safety feature that helps to keep a car’s grip between the tires and the road in slippery or dangerous conditions. The safety feature maintains a car’s traction by limiting how much the wheels can spin, making it easier to stay connected to the surface you’re driving on.

Since 2012, traction control has been a standard safety feature, as part of Electronic Stability Control, on cars sold in the United States. While it can be turned on and off whenever the driver desires, there are few instances when it needs to be turned off. It is much safer to leave it on when possible. We’ll tell you when it’s best to turn it off below.

Traction control prevents the wheels from spinning on slippery surfaces, helping the car maintain its grip when accelerating. Electronic stability control (ESC) helps keep your car going in the direction you steer by correcting skids or slides. Modern vehicles with ESC always include traction control as a component. Older vehicles could have traction control without the functionality of more advanced ESC systems.

How Does Traction Control Work?

The traction control system uses active sensors called yaw rate sensors in your four wheels. The sensors monitor each of your tires, including the vehicle’s speed and what the tires are doing.

If any of the tires spin faster than the car’s speed, that tire will begin to lose traction, which could lead to skidding or hydroplaning. This is where traction control steps in to prevent either from happening.

RELATED: AWD vs. 4WD: Which is Better?

Your traction control will activate if a tire spins too fast. The system kicks in automatically to slow your speed by applying brake pressure to the spinning wheel, reducing vehicle power, or a combination of these tactics to help the car regain traction. When it activates, you might feel a bit of a jerk in the car or hear a buzzing or clicking sound. But that means that the safety feature is doing its job.

However, traction control does not work alone. You may have noticed your ABS light engaging. Anti-lock braking helps stop your car from skidding, but in a different way. That system ensures that your wheels continue to spin when you brake and don’t lock up on you. If the wheels were to lock up, then you could lose control of your car.

What Does the Traction Control Warning Light Indicate?

Traction Control System: How it Works and When to Use It

The traction control system light means various things depending on how it’s illuminated or not illuminated. The activation/malfunction light is generally shared with the electronic stability control system because TCS is typically integrated with that system.

The light in the image of a car with skid marks behind it comes on briefly when the vehicle is turned on to show that the light is working. If it doesn’t come on when you start the ignition, have it fixed so it’s ready to warn you it there’s a problem.
If the light is on continuously without the “OFF” indicator while you’re driving and it isn’t flashing, it’s warning of a malfunction. The TCS and potentially the ESC system are not operating optimally. Adjust your driving to the road conditions.
The activation light flashing when accelerating indicates that a tire or tires are losing traction and the TCS or the ESC is actively working.
If the TC “OFF” or ESC “OFF” light is continuously illuminated, the TCS has been turned off manually by pressing the ESC off button.

What Makes the TCS Light Turn On?

When the traction control light illuminates and remains on while driving, take caution. This safety feature typically means that the car’s traction control is being used, indicating that your vehicle briefly lost grip going around a sharp curve, driving on wet pavement, or the like. However, there are many more reasons why the light comes on.

For example, you could accidentally hit the button that switches it off. Remember, traction control is always on unless switched off. The light may come on when switched off, but this varies from car to car.

If you have not touched anything or lost traction briefly, it might be because a sensor is knocked out of place. Running over a curb, hitting a pothole, or any other impact could move sensors out of alignment, causing the light to come on.

While all of these are possibilities, every car is different. It’s best to read the owner’s manual to fully understand your traction control light. If the light switches on for no reason, use our tips below and check your car warranty. Some manufacturers’ powertrain warranties may cover this type of repair if it has not expired.

To find out more, read our car warranty guide.

How to Fix the TCS Light

Just like you reboot your computer or restart your phone when it gets stuck, try restarting your car if the traction control light stays on. Turn the car off when it is safe to do so, let it sit for a minute, then turn it back on.

MORE: See our Car Service Repair Guide

Traction Control Repair Cost

A restart should be the solution most of the time. However, if the light remains on after the restart, it’s best to take the vehicle to a dealership or certified mechanic. A mechanic will be able to diagnose the problem and most likely be able to fix it. Our Car Maintenance Pricing tool will help you find a fair price for any potential car repair.

It typically costs less than $200 to replace a faulty wheel speed sensor or fix a bad switch that’s causing the light to stay on. However, you can expect higher expenses if the TCS light is on because of an engine power problem or torque imbalance.

While your car is typically safe to drive with the traction control light on, you should not drive it under certain conditions. If the traction control light, anti-lock braking system light, and red brake-warning light illuminate, your entire braking system may be affected. If this happens, getting your car towed to a dealership or car repair shop may be best since driving the vehicle may be unsafe.

MORE: How Does Automatic Emergency Braking Work?

When to Use Traction Control

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Traction control should stay on even if conditions are not hazardous. It is set to on by default when you start your car. You can turn off the safety feature, though it’s rare you’ll need to. But traction control must remain activated in driving instances like heavy rain, snow, or icy conditions. Traction control will make a big difference in maintaining your safety.

Traction control can be beneficial when driving around curves in dangerous weather conditions. Making a sharp turn on a stable, non-hazardous surface can also lead to losing traction. Traction control can be the difference between staying on the road and crashing your car due to skidding, including when the roads are wet or icy.

So, it’s best to leave your traction control on whenever you face hazardous road conditions. Even if conditions don’t seem dangerous, we still recommend leaving it on to be safe, except in the rare instances you need to turn it off (more on that below).

Where to Find the Traction Control Button

Finding the TC button in your car can be tricky if you don’t know what it looks like. The button for traction control only shows a picture of a car with squiggly lines behind the tires.

In many vehicles, the traction control button is located at the bottom left or right of the steering wheel. Sometimes, it says “off” under the image; in other cars, a light indicates whether the traction control is on or off.

MORE: Car Safety Features 101: Everything You Need To Know

When to Turn Off Traction Control

It’s safer to keep your car’s traction control system on 99% of the time when driving. However, there are some cases where the safety feature could do more harm than good. For example, keeping it off is better if you get stuck in the mud, sand, or sometimes snow, especially if you find yourself spinning wheels.

If left on, the traction control would slow down how much your car tires spin. Remember: The safety feature cannot create traction but will help stabilize the vehicle. If your car gets stuck, you need the wheels to spin furiously to dig through the mud, snow, ice, or sand to find solid ground. Most times, once your car reaches the bottom of the substance, you can regain traction and move on your way.

To prevent getting caught in slippery snow or ice, consider using tire chains or snow tires rather than relying on your car’s traction control system. The chains can cut through heavy snow or ice and give you maximum traction to drive in these circumstances. Snow tires have unique grooves that provide a type of grip that regular tires cannot. Read our car tires guide to learn more about what tires work best for you.

While we do not promote car drifting — those long, sideways slides — this is another instance where you should turn off traction control. Just be aware that drifting can ruin your tires.

Getting stuck or attempting drifting may not happen that often. So go ahead and keep the traction feature activated. It’s safer for you and better for the unexpected.

What’s the Difference Between Traction and Stability Control?

Stability control is a lesser-known safety feature. But it’s still there, and it’s helping to keep you safe while driving. While traction and stability control aren’t the same, they go together to ensure a safe driving experience. They use the same sensors in all four wheels, along with the ABS already in your car. But how do they differ?

Stability control helps to keep your car stable and driving in the direction you want to steer it. While this sounds simple, it’s a pretty complex system. While using multiple sensors in your wheels, the stability control system adds a few extra sensors to the mix and uses the computer in your vehicle. The sensors and computer work together to find the intentions of the car’s motion versus the vehicle’s actual motion. If the two don’t align, the stability control will help to stabilize the movement and go where you intended.

Similar to how traction control automatically applies the brakes to a wheel spinning too fast, the stability control system will also apply the brakes to a wheel that is not doing the intended movement.

Stability control also became mandatory in all cars in 2012.

MORE: Do My Tires Need to Be Replaced?

Bottom Line on Traction Control

Traction control is a crucial safety system that prevents wheel spin during acceleration by applying brakes or reducing engine power to ensure the tires maintain grip, especially on slippery surfaces. Using sensors to detect wheel slippage, TCS automatically reduces engine power or applies brakes to help the tires regain traction. Traction control is standard on all modern cars and should remain activated except in rare situations, as it significantly improves safety and control in challenging driving situations.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since its initial publication.