ESP Fault with P2118 Throttle Actuator
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Joined: Feb 2016
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From: Huntsville, AL
2012 C250
ESP Fault with P2118 Throttle Actuator
My problem started about a month ago with an intermittent ESP fault with the corresponding “See owner’s manual” message being displayed. When the ESP fault is illuminated the vehicle will enter the limp mode and will remain that way until the key is cycled off and then back on. Once cycled the car will drive with limited throttle response, I assume this is a feature since the vehicle believes it can’t trust the information it’s getting from the wheels. When cycling the key if I wait until the instrument cluster powers down before restarting the vehicle the ESP fault lights are no longer illuminatedand the car will drive normally until the intermittent fault is active again.
One other resent issue is that intermittently when passingthe vehicle feels as though it has hit something! Like the front axle justdropped in a hole. And the car momentarily loses power. No faults are illuminated. I assumed it was the turbo over-boost protection but I’m not sure.
Both problems started within a week of one another thus making me think they are related.
I finally had a hard failure and the check engine light set. I had the code read with an OBD-II reader and the code that was stored in NVM was P2118, a Throttle actuator fault. Not the costly fault code I wanted to see.
My question is, Could a battery that is starting to degrade be responsible? I did have my battery tested and it passed. The battery is the factory original so that dates it to 2011 so a battery life of close to 5 years. The concerning part about the battery other than the age is that the only comment on the diagnostic print out is that it needed to be fully charged. I had just been driving the vehicle for 30-45 minutes so if anything it should have appeared to be over charged, or a “hot battery”. The battery was not only tested under a cranking load but also under a demand load. My alternator was consistent with a good output. I have had the vehicle for 17 months and put over 70K miles on it with no problems other than routine maintenance issues.
Any insight is welcome. Thanks in advance!
One other resent issue is that intermittently when passingthe vehicle feels as though it has hit something! Like the front axle justdropped in a hole. And the car momentarily loses power. No faults are illuminated. I assumed it was the turbo over-boost protection but I’m not sure.
Both problems started within a week of one another thus making me think they are related.
I finally had a hard failure and the check engine light set. I had the code read with an OBD-II reader and the code that was stored in NVM was P2118, a Throttle actuator fault. Not the costly fault code I wanted to see.
My question is, Could a battery that is starting to degrade be responsible? I did have my battery tested and it passed. The battery is the factory original so that dates it to 2011 so a battery life of close to 5 years. The concerning part about the battery other than the age is that the only comment on the diagnostic print out is that it needed to be fully charged. I had just been driving the vehicle for 30-45 minutes so if anything it should have appeared to be over charged, or a “hot battery”. The battery was not only tested under a cranking load but also under a demand load. My alternator was consistent with a good output. I have had the vehicle for 17 months and put over 70K miles on it with no problems other than routine maintenance issues.
Any insight is welcome. Thanks in advance!
Last edited by luckymal; Feb 11, 2016 at 03:17 PM. Reason: *spelling
