all warning lights on after accident?

[keepclam]

My 4WD Pilot was rear-ended on a slick snowy street at +/- 5-10mph while I was nearly at a stop. Pretty minor bumper damage, but the other car mashed into the muffler. Pilot's tailpipes punched out 2 round holes through the other car's front license plate, which had to be pried off of my muffler. At least one of the pipes was mostly blocked by the resulting disk of license plate lodged in there for at least 1/2 hour.

My ABS, VTM, VSA and warning (the triangle w/exclamation) lights all came on and stayed on. No airbags deployed.

Bumper's repaired & muffler/pipes replaced. Shop called me today and said essentially "these lights were all on before the accident, right?". Umm... no.
It was mentioned to the insurance co. via phone at the accident and to the shop when we took it in for the estimate. They're now in the process of checking out all the warning lights. This shop is very reputable, used by dealerships, and has been around many years, BTW. They've done good work for me in the past, too.

You folks have any thoughts on the warning lights?

(I should also note the rear brakes are apparently nearly - but not yet - metal-to-metal. Not sure if that would affect the ABS light. I knew I was getting close... does Pilot have the squeaky wear indicators?)

[mclairmo]

Does not sound related to the plugged muffler. Maybe from the actual collision? They should disconnect the battery, reset everything and see if they lights go out on their own.

[rocky]

No don't disconnect the battery. You'll lose important code information that will tell you where the problem is.

One or more of the abs sensors is likely out of spec. Since ABS etc rely on these sensors being in spec then a defect or being out of position will trigger the lights.

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by rocky

No don't disconnect the battery. You'll lose important code information that will tell you where the problem is.

One or more of the abs sensors is likely out of spec. Since ABS etc rely on these sensors being in spec then a defect or being out of position will trigger the lights.

If there really is a malfunction, the code information will appear again. However, sometimes codes appear even though there is no true malfunction. Perhaps, the best approach is to read and document the codes first and then disconnect the battery and see if the codes come back before spending money to fix something that may not truly be broken.

[keepclam]

Yep, turns out the right rear ABS sensor was damaged by the muffler. The Honda parts warehouse in Portland shipped the front sensor, though, so Pilot's in the shop 'til the right one gets here Monday. On the plus side, insurance co's footing the rental car bill, on the minus side, it's a Chrysler Town & Country.

Thanks, guys. I'll post any follow-up info if I learn anything more worthwhile when I speak to the shop next week.

(And mclairmo, your ride sounds interesting! Got pics on the forum? What's the difference between Honda & Acura exhaust tips?)

[mclairmo]

Yes, I have photos under a thread entitled Surco Roof Basket and also Fog light are a PITA to install or something similar. Still a work in progress. Still trying to get a Readylift lift kit on it. I got the exhaust tips off an Acura TL I believe. They fit great. I also own a 2006 Subaru Legacy sedan non-turbo in silver. Awesome car. My first Subie and I am in love now. 70,000 miles and no problems. More dependable than my Pilot has been.

[keepclam]

ABS sensor replaced, no more issues.

Pretty cool basket/light set-up, mclairmo. And yeah, it sounds like the fogs were awful to do. My mechanical skill is pretty limited, as is my time. I wouldn't have attempted what you did... kudos to you! Only Pilot mods I plan are the rear brace kit and maybe get a skid plate made someday.

Yeah, the Legacy's a solid car, and 2006 was a particularly good year. We love ours too. They worked through a few problems with the 2005 model year introduction, further beefed up the side impact protection, and IIRC retained some aluminum bits that were replaced with steel on later years for cost savings. Good quality interior materials, too - better than the current generation in many ways. Legacy is a good overall value, nice to drive, and offers top-notch safety plus better MPG than you might expect from an AWD car. My first Subie (also a blue Legacy sedan) went 15 years and 240k miles before I sold it, and it really turned me on to the brand.

It's really nice to see Subaru doing so well in the market the last several years, roughly doubling marketshare and surpassing Mazda and VW in volume... plus doing that with a very limited lineup and some of the lowest financial incentives in the industry. They're selling all they can make right now, and they're making good money on what they sell. They'll be introducing a sharp new Impreza this summer, a Miata-sized RWD sports coupe next year (also building a version for Toyota), and a hybrid in 2013 (finally), so the next few years should be interesting ones.

I liked Hondas before Subaru, and still enjoy them. Since Subaru doesn't make a vehicle that meets my current family needs (Tribeca doesn't do it), I'm lucky Honda does... plus I still get to keep my Legacy in the driveway too.

[mclairmo]

Glad to hear all is well now. Thanks for the nice words. I really wanted a more capable 4wd vehicle but the Pilot is best overall for family use. Anyway, I already have a 1968 Chevy C10 full sized 1/2 ton pickup for hauling stuff and my pops is shortly going to give me his old 93 Toyota 4x4 pickup truck with V6 and manual trans. The Toyota will be my rock crawler. Just need a solid front axle swap.