andy T

Just jump started my C32 after battery died. I get a new error messae: ESP Program not working. I noticed a second problem: transmission does not shift out of first. Any ideas why? The stock battery is quite large, can it be replaced by a regular battery or it requires a special one? Thanks,
andy T

AMGC

Happened to mine yesterday. The ESP malfunction will go away after a few restarts. I started mine up a few times, drove it around, parked, and then turned it back on and it was gone. Wouldnt don this if it was stuck in 1st though. I would keep turning it on and off and locking/unlocking it. I think when the battery dies it goes into stolen car mode- alarm goes off (when its unhooked it goes off if cars locked so when it dies it goes off and then turns into a tick since theres no power) and maybe it keeps the car in 1st so if it was stolen they cant really have a high speed getaway

Slater126

I had this problem last winter. Turned out to be the seat control modules, a common problem in these cars. They get old and eventually stop shutting off after 45 seconds like they're supposed to, and thus drain the battery.

Both of mine went bad and they're very expensive at the dealer. I was quoted $1,500 for both! Ouch. Fortunately, you can get them from other sources for much cheaper. I got the driver's side one for around $230 (remanufactured) and had my local mechanic install it for around 35 bucks. The passenger side is a little more of a problem because it is not available remanufactured, at least it wasn't as of last year. I ended up getting one for around 400 as I recall. Still cheaper than the $tealer.

The best way to tell is to unplug them and see if your battery still drains. If it doesn't, that's your problem. Fortunately, your battery may still be ok. Mine was.

gt4awd

Battery ever been replaced? Low voltage causes numerous problems on these cars. I recommend replacement of battery as a first step if it hasn't been done.

ScottW911

Agreed. I had all sorts of crazy problems with my car when the battery was getting too old. I replaced the battery and the gremlins went away.