Cadillac Repair: traction control random activation, random activation, electrical impulses


Question
Tom,
My wife's 97 Deville's traction control started activating on mild acceleration from stop shortly after the plugs were changed.  Cadillac wanted $800 for this so I changed them myself.  Steve, the service writer, said that this happens sometimes because the wires need to be changed also, so I did that arranging the wires exactly as they had been per his instructions.  In fact I did it twice, the second time with Cadillac replacement wires, which were a milimeter smaller than the originals.
The problem continued.  Next, I replaced the front left wiring harness with a Cadillac fix which reroutes that wire away from the wiring harness, based on the assumption that stray electrical impulses could trigger the problem.  That seemed to solve the problem for about three months.  I spayed contact cleaner on the connectors where the new wire connects to the wiring harness [under the master cylinder], but that hasn't decreased the frequency of the errant t. c. engagement.  When it triggers, it is usually for only a second or so.  Ocassionally it will also trigger the t.c. engaged message on the dash. If it engages for more than a second, it will stop if you let up on the gas.
When this problem first started, it seemed to be associated with starting a turn, such as making a left turn at a stop sign, or changing elevations like turning into a driveway with a slight rise. It also seemed to be more frequent on damp days, but it will trigger on days with low humidity.
We turn the system off, but the button is in the glove compartment making it inconvenient for the driver to accomplish.  I've thought of relocating the button nearer the steering wheel. Steve says there is no way to turn it off permanently without affecting the ABS.
Cadillac checked the system before I installed the new wire but found no error codes.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Jim

Answer
Did you have this problem BEFORE the vehicle was worked ON ?. Most likely one of the wheel sensor wires going to one of the front wheels has an intermittent connection where it plugs in near the suspension and or you have an intermittent faulty wheel sensor.

Check all your plug connections.