Can anyone tell me how to permanently disable that miserable VDC? I am a very confident driver, having spent 36 years in the snow and ice of NH. I now live in the desert where most intersections have a skim of sand on the asphalt. If the wheels slip, even a little bit, when pulling into traffic, the engine power is cut to almost nothing, causing me to be half way into traffic at a snails pace ... not good! If I hold the button in (as if I shorted out the switch) the VDC goes off ... however, within a few seconds, it turns itself back on (while still holding the button in) and then locks out the button entirely until the next start cycle. Nissan says "Read the manual". PLEASE, someone, find a fix for this. They really should have made this a "push on" feature, not "push off"

Welcome to the Club!!!

Hopefully this reply will help a little. ;)

It is "Push on / Push off". I use it somewhat frequently. When you push it, don't hold it. I spent a whole day in mud and sand turning it off and on and never once had to restart to "reset" it. It has also never turned itself back on when I turn it off. I've easily spent over 1-hr with it off. It sounds to me like maybe the problem might be caused from holding the button too long. If not, I would have the system checked if I were you.

That sand on the streets is a real pain, especially for stopping. What year is your Mada?? Have you replaced the tires for better ones yet??

Hopefully you have 4x4 and have it turned to "Auto" Mode before disabling that VDC or you could get spun around if just in 2wd. The ABLS will allow BOTH rear tires to spin just like it has Posi-trac or a Rear Diff Locker which is different than any other stock 1/2-ton on the market and can make it handle somewhat like a '76 Trans Am in those conditions which can cause an unexpected spin-out. Unlike VDC, ABLS cannot be disabled.


This kinda shows what I mean. I laid these down awhile back while still on stock tires. I have yet to see another plain Stock Non-Sport 1/2-ton lay down double stripes like these:

http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5418&stc=1&d=1194122243

Hey Wolf,

not to change the subject too much, but where you from in NH?

Thanks for the info, however, maybe I mis-spoke (mis-wrote?). I understand that if I momentarily push the button it will turn VDC off and it will stay that way until the next start cycle. I was trying to permanently turn if off, so I first tried holding the button in while starting the engine ... it came up off ... so far so good. So, I figured that if I shorted the switch, problem solved. That's when I held the switch in while driving to test that theory. What happened was that the VDC turned itself back on and locked out the switch ... it had no effect until another start cycle. It is a 2007 Armada. I really want this thing OFF full time.

Big Guy ... I was born in Manchster and later lived in Nashua. I now live in Joshua Tree, CA. It is in the Mojave, in the mountains (4,200 ft) just outside of Palm Springs. It is so cool, in the winter, to get on my bike at 50 degrees and ride 30 miles DOWN to Palm Springs where it would be 80 degrees. A couple of years ago, we had 18" of snow.

I haven't heard of anyone permanently disabling it and I'd guess that it's not easily done since it is a "safety feature" as they call it.

Is yours 4x4 or 4x2??

It's not a solution to your dilemma but here's a previous discussion on it.

http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460

Don't know what happened. I answered your post yesterday, however, it's not here. BTW, every time I post, I get shot off to the sign in screen even though I am signed in.
Any Way ...

Disabling it does not defeat a "safety feature". It only reverts the vehicle back to a "regular" vehicle ... you know, the kind that lets the driver control his/her vehicle.

It's a 2007 4x2.

That was a helpful link in the fact that it is exactly what I am complaining about, however, it ended in 2005 without a resolution.

Unless someone can help me, I am seriously considering dumping the vehicle and getting the Hummer I was going after in the first place. I own a twin turbo plane and I demand to be in control.

Here's hopling ...

I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.kptechnologies.com/

Welcome to CA Blue Wolf!

I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.kptechnologies.com/
That site is a KEEPER!!!! Plenty of good stuff on there people could use. WOW!!! :thumbup:

I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.kptechnologies.com/

I think you've hit it! I sent them an e-mail regadring their Traction Control Module .. it appears to be exactly what I am looking for ... and very reasonably priced too!


Thanks

I've been looking over mods from KPT since I bought my first '07 AV6 in October '06. They have cool gadgets!

Pops.... nice stripes! I bet my old Chevy can do better *pod-shot*

Pops.... nice stripes! I bet my old Chevy can do better *pod-shot*
I'll guarantee that your Chevy can but when I see it rip Doubles, I'll know that it's not stock either. :D BTW: I LOVE that BowTie Sleeper of yours!!!! :thumbup:

Gonna create a split-sig pic to show both. That should explain my username. LOL

Hey Guys,
In the last couple of days I keep getting the VDC OFF, SLIP & BRAKE light coming on while driving. What the h... is going on?? I will be taking the beast in soon for the 30K service, however I am sure they will tell me that they can't replicate the problem, thus can't help me. Has any one else experienced this situation. I tried turning VDC off, but does not extinguish the lights in the dash cluster. Turning the engine off and restarting it will turn it off (reboot).
Thanks for any suggestions.

Can anyone tell me how to permanently disable that miserable VDC? I am a very confident driver, having spent 36 years in the snow and ice of NH. I now live in the desert where most intersections have a skim of sand on the asphalt. If the wheels slip, even a little bit, when pulling into traffic, the engine power is cut to almost nothing, causing me to be half way into traffic at a snails pace ... not good! If I hold the button in (as if I shorted out the switch) the VDC goes off ... however, within a few seconds, it turns itself back on (while still holding the button in) and then locks out the button entirely until the next start cycle. Nissan says "Read the manual". PLEASE, someone, find a fix for this. They really should have made this a "push on" feature, not "push off"
Hey blue wolf short story,one of my headlights burned out a week ago and after buying a new bulb and ballast still did not work, now I was really pissed so start checking wires connection everything that could possibly damage the bulb or ballast and after so much time spent looking around decided to look in the 2 fuse boxes the armada have in the engine compartment well found out that each headlight have a 15 amp fuse and one burnt so did the change and wala worked fine but right there next to the fuse is a relay fuse with the VDC name on it if you pull that out might disable the VDC you never know might solve your problem.
Oh stil pissed ended up with a bulb and ballast waste of money and the fix only cost me 3.99 for fuses now that SUCKS!!!! Good luck.:)

Hey Guys,
In the last couple of days I keep getting the VDC OFF, SLIP & BRAKE light coming on while driving. What the h... is going on?? I will be taking the beast in soon for the 30K service, however I am sure they will tell me that they can't replicate the problem, thus can't help me. Has any one else experienced this situation. I tried turning VDC off, but does not extinguish the lights in the dash cluster. Turning the engine off and restarting it will turn it off (reboot).
Thanks for any suggestions.
Check your brake fluid level. It should be all the way to the Full mark.

Hey blue wolf short story,...right there next to the fuse is a relay fuse with the VDC name on it if you pull that out might disable the VDC you never know might solve your problem.
Oh stil pissed ended up with a bulb and ballast waste of money and the fix only cost me 3.99 for fuses now that SUCKS!!!! Good luck.:)

Hey Joe, I am going out this afternoon and you can bet that that fuse will be sitting on my bench when I do. I'll let you all know what happened when I return.

Well, that didn't go well! I pulled off the first fuse box cover and did notice a relay fuse, however when I removed the relay, the fuse position had "TIP" on it not VDC so I left it alone. The second box didn't show anything promising. Please take a look at the photo and dircet me to the VDC relay. The "TIP" relay has a yellow arrow pointing to it. I HAVE NEVER had a vehicle that kept fuse locations a secret ... I'm disliking this vehicle more every day!

BTW: I just got a long letter from Nissan stating that not only are they not going to do anything about it, Federal law dictates that begining Sept. 1, 2008, 50% of all light vehicles will be so equipt, and by 2011, ALL vehicles will have it. They consider it a "life saving feature". Yeh, like the wipers that talk to your breaks. The Feds are also consireding removing any on/off button.

Sh-t! I clicked on the "Insert Image" icon and it is asking for the URL of the photo. It is a .JPG in a folder in my computer. Obviously, it isn't like e-mail ... how do I do it?
Thanks

Click on the "Go Advanced" button then click the "Paper Clip" button in the toolbar. I usually use MS Paint and use "Stretch/Skew" to "Stretch" my pic to 60% horizontal and 60% vertical before uploading if it's bigger then the max limits.

Thanks Pops. Is the arrow pointing to the VDC relay? If not can anyone tell which one it is.

BTW: KPT has not bothered to respond to my e-mail in 4 days and no phone number ... fyi

Geeze guys ... all someone had to say is that the fuse map is etched (not printed) on the fuse box cover. It was very hard to see in the low light. Anyway, I removed the relay and NOT ONE THING CHANGED! All lights and engine castrating reacted exactly as before. Next ...

Thanks Pops. Is the arrow pointing to the VDC relay? If not can anyone tell which one it is.

BTW: KPT has not bothered to respond to my e-mail in 4 days and no phone number ... fyi
There is no VDC relay to remove. And removing the fuse that powers the VDC will remove power from other critical components.
You can't remove a relay or fuse to disable VDC. The only way I know of is by using a module like the KP unit.
See attachment for relay identification (06 and up models only, 04-05 are different).

Check your brake fluid level. It should be all the way to the Full mark.
Thanks scr38,
You were 100% correct. Fluid level was about 3/8" below the MAX. level . Toped it off and have not seen the light since.
Thank you sir. :bow:

There is no VDC relay to remove. See attachment for relay identification (06 and up models only, 04-05 are different).

Beg to differ, sir. The fuse map on the box cover clearly labels a relay as "VDC". It is the one in your graphics identified as E12. Maybe my vehicle was made in Shanghai!

Last question and I'll leave you guys alone. If I do purchase that module (They still haven't responded), how do I remove the lower portion of the instrument panel that houses the VDC switch? Thanks

Beg to differ, sir. The fuse map on the box cover clearly labels a relay as "VDC". It is the one in your graphics identified as E12. Maybe my vehicle was made in Shanghai!

Last question and I'll leave you guys alone. If I do purchase that module (They still haven't responded), how do I remove the lower portion of the instrument panel that houses the VDC switch? Thanks
I know what it says on your cover, but E12 is the Stop Lamp Relay, not a VDC relay.
The wiring diagram below is from the Nissan Armada 07 Service Manual. You can see that E12 is marked Stop Lamp Relay. If you remove it you won't have brake lights.
Maybe it is marked VDC relay on the cover since the Stop Lamp Relay sends a signal to the ABS/TCS/VDC unit as well as turning on the brake lights.

Last question and I'll leave you guys alone. If I do purchase that module (They still haven't responded), how do I remove the lower portion of the instrument panel that houses the VDC switch? Thanks
See attachments:

Not trying to be a smarta**, but for a guy who I assume pilots his own twin turbo; is it really that annoying to hit the VDC switch everytime you start up? I'm sure the checklist for your plane is somewhat lenghty so one button shouldn't be anything. I'm a CDL A driver for a living and I don't mind hitting multiple switches before I roll out.

Not trying to be a smarta**, but for a guy who I assume pilots his own twin turbo; is it really that annoying to hit the VDC switch everytime you start up? I'm sure the checklist for your plane is somewhat lenghty so one button shouldn't be anything. I'm a CDL A driver for a living and I don't mind hitting multiple switches before I roll out.
Funny that you mention that because it took me years to break the habit of Pre-Tripping my cars every morning and I still feel like there's another switch somewhere that needs to be flipped. I'll still lightup the lights and hazards for a walk-around every once in awhile in addition to reflecting my brake lights off the garage door to make sure they all light up. Wide turns were another habit that took a long time to lose. Funny how those things stay with us. :D

OK, guys. We're talking about a car. Sure, checking tire pressure (manually and not relying on a light to come on) and fluid levels is expected. I think a plane is a bit more complicated. Maybe that's why they call personal vehicles ... pleasure vehicles. I also have a 125 CI bike, and on that, I have someone push it while I hand inspect every bit of the tires for imperfections. It's just different things for different things. But, to have to push a switch EVERY time I start, which is several times per day is a bit much. I am going to try that KP module and, hopefully, be done with it. Thanks for all of your help and interest.

So.... you check the tires on your bike every time you ride it? Uhh, and you say it has a whopping 125CI so it must be a Harley clone, but even those don't even come close to the performance potential of any recently manufactured liter sport bike and they do not require such close scrutiny.

Ok I'll admit it......I've taken wide turns in my hyundai forgetting what I was in lol!! Also good point, planes and big rigs are different animals than an armada requiring a whole different mind set to operate; so yes I could see how switching it off every time could become a bit tedious. I hope you find a solution Wolf.

may be UPREV can find a tune for it....LOL

Paralleling the VDC switch is a no-brainer, however, the switch has 4 wires, not 2 like in some other vehicles. Do you know which 2 are the VDC on/off wires?

BTW(1): KPT did get back to me and I will order the module as soon as I get which 2 wires to use. I'll tell you the results.

BTW(2): It is prudent to check the tires on any bike, regardless what type and size ... ya don't have 3 others to take the load.

KP Technologies provided everything I needed to know before I purchased the Traction Control Module. The install was a no-brainer, except for finding the proper +12V wire. I used the Seat Heat fuse slot (Don't need seat heat in the Mojave.) It worked the first time and every time since. It is nice to not have the engine die when slipping slightly on a skim of sand.

Kevin (of KP tech.) stated to me that he will give a discount (even retro) if 10 or more Armada forum people order the control. When ordering, use the comment section to add "Armada group Buy".