ABS light won't go off

[srbin]

Just an hour ago as I was slowing down to enter my underground parking the whole car started vibrating and ABS light went on. I parked the car turned off and back on the engine and the lights is still on. WTF? :) Anyone experienced this before? :pop

[Xerox]

Were you e-braking and drifting by any chance?

[dentinger]

lol i had the same problem happen to me last year.
i was drifting in some snow for a while when my ABS light came on.
it went out on its own a few minutes of driving later

[srbin]

No not yet... :chuckle Just kidding... What happened is this: I made a full stop to open the garage door and as I was slowly moving down the ramp (which by the way was dry) the car started to vibrate (felt like driving over hwy rumble strips) and light went on... I just turned on the engine again and ABS light went on again...

[srbin]

lol i had the same problem happen to me last year.
i was drifting in some snow for a while when my ABS light came on.
it went out on its own a few minutes of driving later

that might be the case cause i had to drive thru 30cm of snow to get to my building...

[stealthman12]

i just had this happen. Was on the whole time until i stopped at a service center. Started the car and the light turned off after a minute of driving

[BLKOUT]

I had this happen as well, it happened after I was drifting using the e-brake. Is this a bad thing?

[Xerox]

I had this happen as well, it happened after I was drifting using the e-brake. Is this a bad thing?

I don't know whether it will have any long-term technical adverse effects. But common sense tells me that if the car complains about it, it probably does not like it = not a good thing.

I've had this happen in '96 Chevy Lumina when I was younger driving my parents car. I had to do pull the e-brake several times in a matter of a short time for the car to complain about it. I don't do it to my car.

[queens49]

Had the same problem happen today. I was trying to get to my driveway, but the road had a crap load of snow on it, and I couldn't get through it. The ABS stayed on for a while, but eventually went away. Definitely hope it's not a bad thing

[Flagrum_3]

I would think it is most likely a case of snow/slush caught up around the abs sensors and gearing, therefore causing an erroneous signal...Its nothing to worry about.If it doesn't clear up on its own, just take it to a spray-wash and clean it, in and around the inside of the wheels where the abs sensors are.


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[m_a_t_r_i_x]

my car was in the garage yesterday ,no ice or snow. abs ebrake are on...i turn it off and restarted but still wont go off.

[Flagrum_3]

my car was in the garage yesterday ,no ice or snow. abs ebrake are on...i turn it off and restarted but still wont go off.

Well that would be a different story.Did you try releasing the hand brake and driving a bit?


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[queens49]

I would think it is most likely a case of snow/slush caught up around the abs sensors and gearing, therefore causing an erroneous signal...Its nothing to worry about.If it doesn't clear up on its own, just take it to a spray-wash and clean it, in and around the inside of the wheels where the abs sensors are.


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Great. I think that was my case. I was trying to plow my way through a lot of snow. It only came on after that. It's all fine now today.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

Well that would be a different story.Did you try releasing the hand brake and driving a bit?


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i never use the ebrake ....i drove the car for 30mins and abs lights finally went off ...weird nver had this issue b4.

[RallyPlaya]

lol Hahahah My ABS Light Turned on too like A Few Hours Ago I Think it Was I Was Struggling For A Good 10 Min to get out of this Deep Snow. It Stayed on Yellow for about 30min after and Its Gone Now Sure ityl Fix Up With Time

[pahecko]

lol Hahahah My ABS Light Turned on too like A Few Hours Ago I Think it Was I Was Struggling For A Good 10 Min to get out of this Deep Snow. It Stayed on Yellow for about 30min after and Its Gone Now Sure ityl Fix Up With Time

What's with the abs issues lately! Mine is on too but I know why, the driver side sensor isn't working. Wheel locks up when braking. Just another thing to add to the list!

I also have the shaking problem but again I know why, (or think I know why ), misfiring! yikes. When i got my header done, someone unplugged a wire and didn't clip it in all the way so I was running on 3 sparks for like a week. yes I knew something was up and I checked, everything seem fine till i actually checked the wires. Anyways, I think that messed up that spark plug. Advancing the timing seemed to help, but still happens, occasionally bad enough to trip the CEL.

And i need an alignment and steering check. :bang

Oh and dealership wants to charge me 3 hours worth of labor just to "find" out the abs issues, even though it's quite obvious. Dont' know why I bother with them, pretty sure i voided my warranty...

[RallyPlaya]

Yeah Some Dealerships Hustle You like that One of My Window vipers Stopped Moving Too But I Got that Fixed At Canadian Tire 4 like 32$. Didn't trust the dealership checking it theyd Charge like 100$

[Alan]

What's with the abs issues lately! Mine is on too but I know why, the driver side sensor isn't working. Wheel locks up when braking. Just another thing to add to the list!

I also have the shaking problem but again I know why, (or think I know why ), misfiring! yikes. When i got my header done, someone unplugged a wire and didn't clip it in all the way so I was running on 3 sparks for like a week. yes I knew something was up and I checked, everything seem fine till i actually checked the wires. Anyways, I think that messed up that spark plug. Advancing the timing seemed to help, but still happens, occasionally bad enough to trip the CEL.

And i need an alignment and steering check. :bang

Oh and dealership wants to charge me 3 hours worth of labor just to "find" out the abs issues, even though it's quite obvious. Dont' know why I bother with them, pretty sure i voided my warranty...

Just to let you know, my ABS light was on earlier in the year, and my dealership fixed it by replacing a faulty sensor on my driver's side wheel. The best part: all under warranty, and didn't charge me labour of any sorts!

[Flagrum_3]

What's with the abs issues lately! Mine is on too but I know why, the driver side sensor isn't working. Wheel locks up when braking. Just another thing to add to the list!

I also have the shaking problem but again I know why, (or think I know why ), misfiring! yikes. When i got my header done, someone unplugged a wire and didn't clip it in all the way so I was running on 3 sparks for like a week. yes I knew something was up and I checked, everything seem fine till i actually checked the wires. Anyways, I think that messed up that spark plug. Advancing the timing seemed to help, but still happens, occasionally bad enough to trip the CEL.

And i need an alignment and steering check. :bang

Oh and dealership wants to charge me 3 hours worth of labor just to "find" out the abs issues, even though it's quite obvious. Dont' know why I bother with them, pretty sure i voided my warranty...

The first issue I believe is because of all the snow and slush thats causing alot of abs problems...I was experiencing pre-mature abs activation also, until I cleaned out around the wheels, (but no abs light)...go figure. Anyways, I don't understand your dilemma? Is your vehicle out of warranty? If not, they should be diagnosing and repairing the abs problem no charge.

As for your plug mishap I would suggest changing your plugs....cleaning a iridium plug is futile and the one plug (which was not firing) is most likely shot as in saturated.


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[pahecko]

Just to let you know, my ABS light was on earlier in the year, and my dealership fixed it by replacing a faulty sensor on my driver's side wheel. The best part: all under warranty, and didn't charge me labour of any sorts!

^^ Is the a problem with this sensor? Same sensor is also screwed.

ABS is no problem ('cept for the time they want to keep the car) unless the hassle me about my mods and refuse to cover the costs.

As for the plugs, I checked them, black deposits (on 2 that i checked). Tip seems fine though. bogging/jerkin only seems to happen between 1500 - 2000 rpms and only when i give a bit of throttle, which is kind of weird for misfiring no? Shouldn't it be fairly random?

Plus, heavy carbon deposits suggest that I'm burning rich, which leads to another issue I need to get fixed, on thing i know for sure is that my milage SUCKS lol.

Well, tomorrow I'll be changing the sparks I'll let you know if that fixes the problem!

Thanks for the input!

[Flagrum_3]

^^ Is the a problem with this sensor? Same sensor is also screwed.

ABS is no problem ('cept for the time they want to keep the car) unless the hassle me about my mods and refuse to cover the costs.

As for the plugs, I checked them, black deposits (on 2 that i checked). Tip seems fine though. bogging/jerkin only seems to happen between 1500 - 2000 rpms and only when i give a bit of throttle, which is kind of weird for misfiring no? Shouldn't it be fairly random?

Plus, heavy carbon deposits suggest that I'm burning rich, which leads to another issue I need to get fixed, on thing i know for sure is that my milage SUCKS lol.

Well, tomorrow I'll be changing the sparks I'll let you know if that fixes the problem!

Thanks for the input!

I've noticed with alot of members here, their vehicles are running rich, which would definitely cause poor gas mileage and excessive carbon build up on the plugs and in the combustion chambers....you might try asking the dealer for a computer update and scan before putting new plugs in otherwise they'll just get covered the same.


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[jstro]

Today my ABS and e-brake lights both came on as I was driving along (we got a fair amount of snow here today).

I pulled into a parking lot and pulled the e-brake handle up and down a couple of times, but couldn't get the lights to go out.

Turned off the car and then turned it back on and the e-brake light went out but the ABS light stayed on for a few more mins, then also went out. I never felt the pedal shake or the ABS system engage.

Thinking this was strange, I phoned the dealer, who told me the lights come on as an indication of the ABS system working, which doesn't seem right to me.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[cwp_sedan]

Today my ABS and e-brake lights both came on as I was driving along (we got a fair amount of snow here today).

I pulled into a parking lot and pulled the e-brake handle up and down a couple of times, but couldn't get the lights to go out.

Turned off the car and then turned it back on and the e-brake light went out but the ABS light stayed on for a few more mins, then also went out. I never felt the pedal shake or the ABS system engage.

Thinking this was strange, I phoned the dealer, who told me the lights come on as an indication of the ABS system working, which doesn't seem right to me.

Got my manual and scanned the stuff I was talking about.

Any ideas? Thanks.

I had the same thing happen to me today. It's in the manual if you look it up. Unfortunately I don't have it with me but it says not to drive when those 2 lights are on. Well I didn't read that till after I got to work. I managed to get a red light though and turned the car off/on and the same happened to me like you with the lights going out. The ABS started to work again and everything seemed fine/ I will definitely be looking into this a little more.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb106/cwp_sedan/abs_brake_light_warn.jpg

[jstro]

I had the same thing happen to me today. It's in the manual if you look it up. Unfortunately I don't have it with me but it says not to drive when those 2 lights are on. Well I didn't read that till after I got to work. I managed to get a red light though and turned the car off/on and the same happened to me like you with the lights going out. The ABS started to work again and everything seemed fine/ I will definitely be looking into this a little more.

Thanks for the scan, cwp_sedan...:)

I definitely don't like the part where it says to have the car towed to a Mazda dealer immediately. I love how the dealer told me the light was an indication of the proper functioning of the ABS system, when in fact it is designed to be the opposite!

I wonder if it was just a case of snow getting stuck on the ABS sensor and gumming things up, although that's never happened on any other car I've driven.

Please let me know if you find any more info and I'll do the same. If it comes on again, maybe I'll call a dealer in Toronto (I'm in London right now).

[cwp_sedan]

I will be in at the dealer tomorrow anyway so I will be asking about it. I figure if it stayed on after you restarted your car, then have it towed. Since it was off I don't think it's that much of a deal. I drove in the snow before and never had this issue so I'm not sure why it happened.

[Flagrum_3]

Thanks for the scan, cwp_sedan...:)

I definitely don't like the part where it says to have the car towed to a Mazda dealer immediately. I love how the dealer told me the light was an indication of the proper functioning of the ABS system, when in fact it is designed to be the opposite!

I wonder if it was just a case of snow getting stuck on the ABS sensor and gumming things up, although that's never happened on any other car I've driven.

Please let me know if you find any more info and I'll do the same. If it comes on again, maybe I'll call a dealer in Toronto (I'm in London right now).

The idiots at the dealer should have explained it as; When you first start the vehicle up, the ABS light will come on for a few seconds, letting you know the system is functioning properly, but if it comes on like in your situation and stays on, there is a malfunction....I would suspect it was just snow and shit that accumulated around the abs sensors, hense the reason it cleared and it wouldn't be the first time we've seen that same situation, mentioned on this board.


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[MZ3_GS]

You guys are probably spinning your drive wheels in the snow. The ABS wheel sensors have to report the rotational speed of each wheel. If your front wheels move and your back ones aren't moving it usually triggers a ABS light.

Should go off one you resume normal driving.

[cwp_sedan]

You guys are probably spinning your drive wheels in the snow. The ABS wheel sensors have to report the rotational speed of each wheel. If your front wheels move and your back ones aren't moving it usually triggers a ABS light.

Should go off one you resume normal driving.

It's not just the ABS light coming on to recognize wheel slip, it's more than that. I'm not worried about it though. If it comes on again and stays on then I will worry about it.

[whiteomega]

If the ABS light comes on (edit: and stays on), it's not an indication that ABS is working; generally it indicates exactly the opposite: ABS is NOT working. It basically means the ABS computer things something is wrong.

http://www.carbibles.com/brake_bible.html

More edit: as others have said, in some cases, the ABS sensor gets messed up with snow, dirt, etc, but in others, the system could actually be malfunctioning. park the car someplace warm and give it a good wash. if the light is still on, get the dealer to look at it.

[dumpbear]

Mine came on after a heavy snow fall a few weeks back and went off after the snow/ice melted on my car (and presumably in the wheel wells).

[starwind]

I have had my ABS light come on a few times this winter; and once the brake light came on with it. All times happened while driving on unplowed suburban side streets through heavy snow (several inches to a foot or so -- beyond that the car just doesn't want to move anywhere anyway :-) ).

The first time it was the ABS and brake light together and I was two blocks from home -- I figured worst case, the brakes don't work and at a top speed of about 10 kph (thanks to the snow) I would coast to a stop in a snowbank... Made it home, and noticed there was a LOT of snow wedged up not just to the sides of all the wheels, but all around above 'em too. Knocked it out, turned on car, backed down driveway, and both lights stayed off.

To be sure that the snow was the problem, I called my local dealership and explained what happened.

What I was told is it is fairly common in heavy snow, that it means snow has gotten around the brake/abs sensor. For safety reasons, when the car thinks there is something wrong with the ABS, it actually turns ABS off and turns the warning light on to tell you you no longer have ABS (therefore, if your ABS light is on, you do NOT have ABS anymore). The brake light comes on when it thinks there is a problem with the brakes, and thus they may or may not work properly.

I was told that if knocking the snow out solves the problem immediately, to not worry about it. If it doesn't, the car needs to be towed for repair and should not be driven.

It has recurred a few times, each time in deep unplowed snow -- stopping and knocking the snow out solved the problem immediately. I have never had it happen on a plowed road. *crossing fingers*.

Rather annoying, especially living in a heavy snow region.

[cwp_sedan]

^ Well put.

[jstro]

I have had my ABS light come on a few times this winter; and once the brake light came on with it. All times happened while driving on unplowed suburban side streets through heavy snow (several inches to a foot or so -- beyond that the car just doesn't want to move anywhere anyway :-) ).

The first time it was the ABS and brake light together and I was two blocks from home -- I figured worst case, the brakes don't work and at a top speed of about 10 kph (thanks to the snow) I would coast to a stop in a snowbank... Made it home, and noticed there was a LOT of snow wedged up not just to the sides of all the wheels, but all around above 'em too. Knocked it out, turned on car, backed down driveway, and both lights stayed off.

To be sure that the snow was the problem, I called my local dealership and explained what happened.

What I was told is it is fairly common in heavy snow, that it means snow has gotten around the brake/abs sensor. For safety reasons, when the car thinks there is something wrong with the ABS, it actually turns ABS off and turns the warning light on to tell you you no longer have ABS (therefore, if your ABS light is on, you do NOT have ABS anymore). The brake light comes on when it thinks there is a problem with the brakes, and thus they may or may not work properly.

I was told that if knocking the snow out solves the problem immediately, to not worry about it. If it doesn't, the car needs to be towed for repair and should not be driven.

It has recurred a few times, each time in deep unplowed snow -- stopping and knocking the snow out solved the problem immediately. I have never had it happen on a plowed road. *crossing fingers*.

Rather annoying, especially living in a heavy snow region.

Thanks for the info, starwind.

The only time it's happened to me was while driving through a snowdrift, so it's good to know that's most likely the source of the problem.