Electronic Stability Control

Electronic Stability Control (or ESC) is a crash avoidance system found on many recent vehicles. ESC will help you stay in control of your vehicle when you need to swerve or brake suddenly to avoid an obstacle.

Transport Canada has been testing vehicles with ESC since 2004; we found that the improvement in vehicle stability due to ESC was impressive.

Transport Canada has introduced the new Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 126 that requires an ESC system on all passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, trucks and buses with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 4536 kg or less, and manufactured on or after September 1^st, 2011.

Information on:

• What is Electronic Stability Control?
• Why should I have ESC on my vehicle?
• My vehicle has an "ESC OFF" button; why would I want to switch ESC OFF?
• Will ESC affect my fuel consumption?
• How much does ESC cost?
• Are there any other names for ESC?
• Which vehicles offer ESC?
• Are there issues or challenges with ESC systems?
• What is Transport Canada doing in this area?
• What is Transport Canada's position on ESC?
• Where can I learn more about ESC?
• Who should I contact with concerns about my ESC system?

Available Reports:

ESC (Electronic Stability Control) Public and Driver Surveys

Alternative Formats Available

PDF (Portable Document Format)

• To view the PDF version of ESC (Electronic Stability Control), follow this link.
  File size: 237.15 KB.
  
  To view PDF documents you must use Adobe® Acrobat Reader. Visit the Adobe site to download the latest, free version.
  
  If you need an alternative format or for more information, please contact us by e-mail at RoadSafetyWebMail@tc.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-333-0371 (Ottawa area (613) 998-8616).

Ordering Printed Copies
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• If you wish to order a free copy of Esc (Electronic Stability Control), follow this link.
• You can order other Transport Canada publications by visiting our Online Publications Storefront.