Greetings, does anyone have any ideas why my 97 sl500 yellow flashing light starts flashing at about 35mph. Here is what I have gathered so far. The car seems to drive fine most of the time, without the flashing light or any other issues. It seems at the end of a hot summer day, the car starts off fine, then when I get to about 35mph the yellow light starts flashing and there is some minor roughness and hesitation. As long as I keep the speed under 35 it doesn't flash and the car seems to drive fine. Then after a couple of miles, I can continue with the acceleration and everything seems fine and is there is no flashing yellow light. Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

traction control issues. wrong tire sizes can do that. differnt or the wrong tire sizes will cause the car to think the wheel is spinning or sliding causing the traction control to intervene

 

Wow, that was a great response. I never even considered that, yet when I think about it, the problem did start after putting on a couple of new tires in the rear. They are mismatched as you suggested, Michilins on the front and Rikins on the rear. Strange that it only happens late in the day. Any work arounds that you know of other than changing the tires, maybe inflating the tires with a few extra pounds, starting off in third gear for the first couple of miles, etc. Thank you so much for the response.

 

the sizes...should all be the same.. same minor change wont matter. but too much differnce will cause that. you can try pushing the ESP off button and that might stop the problem but it also might not. the light will stay on all the time though. but you need to get the right tires sizes on there to really fix it. the correct tire sizes is listed on the drivers door jam.

 

Can't wait till this afternoon to see if the ESP button makes a difference. I should mention that the tires are the correct size on the back of the car (I used what was on the door jam), I replaced both back tires with the correct size, it was the brand that was different though. Michiclins on the front, Rikins on the back. Also, I'm not sure if the Rikins were "Z" rated or not, I'm thinking they were "H" rated, whatever the heck that means. At least I have something to go on now, thanks.

 

tire make shouldnt matter but the middle number will make a differnce for example 215-55-16...the 55 is the width, or i should say the height of the side wall and if you have a 50 or a 60 then it can cause ESP issues. unless your car comes standard with differnt sizes on the front and the rear then the middle number should be the same.

 

The rating does not make any difference. Z rating is for performance and H rating is for a more comfortable ride. I have a 1994 SL and I run "H" rated tires. Gives a better ride (not rough). I don't think that the brand makes any difference but the size should be what is recommended by Mercedes which is inside the door.

 

and although it is annoying, the problem hasn't happened since. I've double checked the tires and they are fine. Can anyone else think of anything, or should I just drive with the yellow light on? Any issues leaving the car in the abr mode? Thanks