What is VSA?

VSA is vehicle stability assistance, which is the exclusive term for the electronic stability system that Honda and Acura use.

Electronic stability control uses sensors to determine when a vehicle is in danger of going into a skid. It intervenes by rapidly applying and releasing brakes at each wheel to maintain steering control.

Related to Courtesy Automotive Service Center

Since 2012, all U.S. vehicles must have stability control. In large part, the rise in rollovers and single-vehicle accidents involving SUVs during the 2000s prompted the federal mandate for stability control.

Honda was an early adopter. VSA was introduced on the Japanese-market Honda Accord sedan in 1997. The 2000 Acura 3.5RL sedan in the United States was the first to get it. VSA was first introduced to the Honda Pilot SUV in 2005 and the Honda Odyssey minivan in 2005. It was also standard on four Acura models and four Honda models by 2006.

VSA, like other stability control systems, uses several sensors to determine if it should be activated to prevent skids. This includes the vehicle's direction relative to steering wheel position, lateral acceleration, and wheel slip. VSA also includes traction control. This reduces the power required to accelerate wheels that lose traction (slip) during acceleration.