Check engine and VSC lights turn on when driving

This could be a couple different issues so I would suggest we start with checking the codes to find out what is going on.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

These two lights normally point to a speed sensor issue if they are related but they may not be related.

So with the check engine light and slow pick up, I suspect we have a misfire or a potential sensor issue with the engine like an air intake/air flow (MAF/MAP).

Here are a couple guides that will help with this:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-low-engine-power

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-low-engine-power

Let's run through this info but first and foremost, we need to get the codes that go with these lights and go from there.

Thanks

Okay. That can be the issue. The o2 sensor may have failed due to having oil coming through the engine and it coats the sensor.

Let's just pull the plugs out and see what they look like. We may have a larger issue then expected but do you know how much oil it is burning?

The way to tell is to change the oil or top it off and mark the spot on the dipstick and then in 500 miles top it back off to that level and track how much oil it took to get back to that mark. Then we can do the math to see how much oil it is burning.

Below is a chart that shows plug issues. I suspect they will be black which will help figure this out.

Thanks

Okay. Clearly we are on the issue's trail but at this point we need to find out what the codes are when those lights come on.

I suspect there is a greater engine issue but now that we have this info it confirms we need to go further and get codes and go from there.

Thanks

Okay. We need to take a step back and make sure the smoke is white. The color of the smoke is critical because that will point us in the direction of system we need to check.

If this is white smoke, then that is coolant in the engine. Dark smoke is excess fuel but if this is white then that may explain everything.

If there is coolant in the engine, then it is going to try and correct the air fuel ratio by dumping more fuel and it is not going to run right and foul plugs.

Let's check for a head gasket issue before we do anything else because that will take us in a different direction.

Here is a guide on how to do that:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Let me know what you find. Thanks

Okay. The bubbles under the radiator cap part of this guide are just one sign of a head gasket issue. So, if you see bubbles then that means you have an issue. However, that is not the only sign. You can have a head gasket issue with no bubbles under the cap.

So, if you are sure that this was while smoke then we need to do the chemical test shown in this guide as well. That is the most definitive way to rule out a head gasket. If we can't rule that out for sure, then we may be wasting time and efforts looking at other things.

If this is not white smoke, then we can move on. However, the fact that you have oil burning as well, it is more and more looking like internal engine issues, so we need to confirm this first.

I am not sure I understand. What does he mean there is no worry about the white smoke? Did he test the cooling system for hydrocarbons?

At this point if you are using oil, poor fuel economy, and have white smoke then we need to perform these tests before we go any further:P

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Basically, I suspect we have serious engine issues causes all this except the VSC light.

So, if this mechanic was not given all these issues and just looked at the white smoke and said it is fine, then I would suggest a second opinion or tell him about all these issues. If someone presented this to me, these are the first tests that I would perform before going any further.