Does the Sharan brake automatically? Is the ESP system responsible?

Hello fellow diesel enthusiasts,
I urgently need help.

I've been having a problem with my Sharan 2.0 TDI DPF (manufactured in 2006) for quite some time, and the VAG workshop hasn't been able to find the cause because it only occurs sporadically.
Occasionally, the vehicle performs a brief braking maneuver (lasting only fractions of a second) on the right side, and it's difficult to determine whether the braking is occurring at the front or rear.

I already read a bug report for a Passat TDI in this forum from 2008 that seems very similar. I want to revisit this topic because the post from 2008 didn't provide any resolution.

According to most people's assessment, the noise is coming from the rear right side.
The intensity of the braking varies. Most often, there's a strong jolt, but sometimes it's just a slight slowing down. Occasionally, only a quiet but distinct sound is audible.
This phenomenon often occurs after driving through a right-hand curve, when the vehicle is steered straight and slightly to moderately accelerated. The issue never appears with strong acceleration or generally sporty driving; it only happens with more restrained driving. However, it can also (more rarely) occur on a straight, level road, but always only during acceleration.During our vacation, we were driving on a very uneven, poorly paved country road that barely allowed speeds above 60 km/h. Over a section of 5 kilometers, the problem occurred at least 20 times, sometimes quite strongly, even while driving straight and without any additional acceleration.

The ESP light does not illuminate. I have intentionally activated the ESP system several times during the winter, and it has always functioned reliably, signaling its engagement with the lamp. There are no entries in the error memory related to this issue.

The frequency of the error varies greatly. Some days it occurs only 1 or 2 times, while on other days it happens very frequently, 5-10-15 times. Then there are periods of up to two weeks where it doesn't occur at all, even though the vehicle is driven an average of at least 20 to 50 kilometers every day. I haven't been able to observe any correlation with weather or temperature so far.

Ich habe eine Fehlsteuerung innerhalb des ESPs im Verdacht. Irgendein Umstand muß dem Steuergerät einen kritischen Zustand vermitteln, so dass das ESP meint, ein Rad abbremsen zu müssen. Im Internet habe ich schon von Problemen mit dem Gierraten- und Querbeschleunigungssensor gelesen, aber leider keine gesicherten Angaben dazu gefunden. Meine VAG Werkstatt hatte schon am rechten Vorderrad einen nicht einwandfreien Drehzahlsensor gewechselt, die Ausgangsspannung hatte den Sollwert nicht erreicht. Unfortunately, it didn't help.

"Can anyone help me with this error? Has anyone else experienced a similar issue? Where can I find the pitch rate and lateral acceleration sensors? I'm going to carefully examine the surrounding environment."

Best regards from the Sharanfuchs.

I'd like to get my hands on a VAG-COM diagnostic tool and find someone to ride with me for a test drive. The passenger should pay attention to what the values for lateral and longitudinal acceleration display at the moment when the error occurs.

That is one possibility.
I will try that out when my cheap adapter from eBay can display the values.
I'll take care of it.
A much larger problem is that errors are also likely to occur.
It's kind of like going to the dentist.

Would a measured value actually change if the error is very short?

Best regards, Sharanfuchs.

Sharanfuchs wrote:

Würde denn sich ein angezeigter Messwert bei der kürze des Fehlers überhaupt verändern?

Sure. Go ahead and put the laptop on the seat, and then shake the car from the outside. You'll see how quickly it happens.

Okay, I'll try it out as soon as I have some time.

Hello Michael,
I tried to perform the measurements you suggested.
I couldn't get anywhere with my cheap diagnostic tool.
I just bought a comfortable AI-powered device with VCDS 805.
All control units report no error entries in their memory.

So far, I have only been able to display the steering angle sensor data.
I haven't found any other sensors yet, so I don't know how to test them.

I have to admit that all these terms like "measurement blocks," "label files," and "channels" seem a bit strange to me. I have no experience with them, even though I've learned quite a bit online over the past few weeks.
Is there perhaps a kind of introductory guide or tutorial for beginners on this topic?
As an electronics specialist, I already have a good foundation, but so far, I'm still missing that "aha!" moment in this field.

Who can help me here?

Best regards, Jo.

Check the folder where VCDS is installed; there's a manual somewhere in there.

Have you already installed the modified main cable?
That thing could do just about anything, even the impossible.