I bought a friends 2008 Subaru impreza outback sport. He hit a big pothole and was moving to hawaii so needed to sell the car cheap but damaged. I bought it and have had a friend replace the rack and pinion, power steering, strut, control arm and stabilizing bar. The VDC light and Hill Start assist lights are both on in the dash. I've tried the VDC button and thats not it. 

I did the headlight / odometer trick and it outputted these codes:

c0071 (steering angle sensor)
c0042 (Power supply voltage failure)
and
c0075 (Right Front ABS Solenoid #2 Circuit Malfunction)

is there a common thing between them that i can get replaced? I can't really afford the $100 dealer diagnostic fee nor can i afford their prices. Is fixing this myself, or from a non dealer mechanic unadvisable for any reasons?

thanks in advance for any help.

Edited February 27, 201313 yr by ahreno

if you hadn't mentioned the wreck, I would have suggested you check the battery for a bad cell, clear the codes and see if any come back.

 

But, those may all be legit.

 

Still, I had a bad battery set wierd, spurious codes in out Outback. And, if the battery is original, it's getting really old.

I'd try and determine where these specific sensors/solenoids are located and see if there is any physical damage to them.

After that, I'd suggest clearing the codes either with a scan tool or battery and see if those same codes come back.  Then you'll know whether you actually have a problem with all those codes or if they're just erroneous stored codes.

 

Thanks. i'll try that.  The battery is replaced and brand new, though it does seem to drain quite fast if i have the radio on and the car not running. I'll see if i can get my mechanic to clear the codes.

i went to my local mechanic to try to get them to clear the codes.  They were kind of confused by it and said they couldn't do it. Said it had to be the subaru dealer... so not sure there. The dealer is going to charge me $100 diagnostic fee.  Assholes.

So the damage was to the right front?

Have you checked for blown fuses?

I think it may be more complicated than that but its always best to start simple. There is a fuse and relay panel on the VDC module (part of the ABS hydraulic unit), I'd check there first.

Check the VDC control module connection to ground. Also unplug it and reconnect in case there is a poor connection at the harness plug. Check for corrosion in the plug also.

Also check for physical damage to the control unit.

So the damage was to the right front?

Have you checked for blown fuses?

I think it may be more complicated than that but its always best to start simple. There is a fuse and relay panel on the VDC module (part of the ABS hydraulic unit), I'd check there first.

Check the VDC control module connection to ground. Also unplug it and reconnect in case there is a poor connection at the harness plug. Check for corrosion in the plug also.

Also check for physical damage to the control unit.

 

yes, damage was front right wheel area. 

 

I checked the fuse under the hood (#1 i think) and the one under the dash (#30) and both were fine.  

 

I checked where the ABS sensor plugs into the brake and it seemed fine.  

 

I couldn't find the VDC module and searching google proved unhelpful. I tried following the wire from the abs sensor but lost it when it went through the firewall.  Any tips where it is?  Also, no idea where the control unit is so any tips on that would be appreciated.

 

Thanks for the help so far.

FSM makes it looks like its built into the abs hydraulic unit. If its not then its right next to it. It could be inside the fender but since the VDC uses the ABS its probably built into the same unit. Should be a big plug on it, unplug that and make sure all the pins are clean. And a small black or grey cover on the side or the front with some squeeze tabs, that's the cover for the fuse panel. Should be some fuses and a relay or two in there, check them for clean connection.