Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting why did my abs light come on?

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now this problem is appearing. i determined it does not happen when the abs light is on. only when its off (at least my testing supports this). once the light goes off the studdering at very low speeds appears when using the brakes. and i'm not slamming them either. could it be the abs kicking in alot but why? wouldnt the light come on to show it was activated. its a very uncomfortable feeling. i'm gonna have to get to the bottom it.

i can understand if i did some brake work recently. but for this to show up suddenly i dont like. any suggestions of stuff i can check (things that may have somehow come undone or something).

I dunno what the problem is, but I have it too. Its not a problem though.. I've had it come on dozens of times, it always ends up going away after driving the car for a little bit, and the brakes seem to work fine while the light is on. Purely a nuisance I think.

do u get the shudder when applying the brakes?

the brakes themselves work as explained up above but apparently the abs system wont kick in when the light is on. with winter coming up, last thing i need is lack of abs in an emergency situation.

For my 2 cents worth.....

The ABS light will not come on when the ABS is actively working. It purely is a light to show any errors that the ABS computer has detected, and when you first turn the key on to check the bulb operation.

If your car feels like the ABS is turning on during normal or light braking, but the road conditions arn't bad, and there is not reason for wheel skid, then my suggestion would be to check and see if all the wheel sensors are mounted securely. Also, since you have each wheel off looking at the sensors, now is a good time to make sure there isn't anything stuck inbetween the teeth in the ABS sensor ring(looks like a gear, mounted on the Driveshaft), AND that the ring is NOT cracked.

This is a problem on Ford Windstars which causes the ABS computer to think that one wheel is starting to lock, in turn causeing the ABS activate.

Hope any of this helps! and good luck!
PS - If its any consulation, my ABS is messed up too, if i jam on the brakes on gravel or loose dirt, my wheels will lock up, but if i am driving on wet pavement, or even dry pavement, and hit the brakes, the ABS works for a few seconds and then just locks all the wheels up. Occasionally i will get a ABS light, but never really looked into it. If anyone has experienced this before, or has any ideas...let me know

reading the haynes manual, i'm going to check the wheel sensors. i notice when the abs light is on, i dont have a problem (but the abs then isnt working). the haynes manual says the abs module saves three dtc's (diagnostic trouble codes). hope to do this this weekend.

i havent gotten a chance to check anything yet. but it seems to be happening almost everytime i brake around 17mph and as i slow down. i get the studdering and grindtype noise. can i be doing damage if it seems to be happening frequently. after doing it a bit, the abs light will come on (likely cuz the abs testing failed) and the problem appears to be completely gone (no noise, studder)

so i dont think its my pads or rotors. would a bad a-arm, subframe do this?

i'm trying to figure out why it started up. i changed tranny fluid then a day or two later this starts. i jacked up the car and placed a jack just in front of the back subframe bolt on each side. i'm pretty sure i didnt bend anything. the subframe is supposed to be able to easily handle this, right? could i have knocked out the multiplug abs sensor? i dont know where its located under the engine. i'll find the wheel sensor at each wheel and test it with my haynes manual and dmm. the two rear multiplugs under the rear seat i checked to make sure they r connected and i didnt undo them somehow when running my audio wiring.

i didnt search yet (forgive me). was there a wiring harness recall for post 98s? would this be affecting the abs.

The wiring harness recall is for " Certain 1995-1997 Contour and Mystique vehicles - OWNER NOTIFICATION PROGRAM !! This program provides extended coverage on certain under hood wire harnesses through 10 years or 100,000 miles which ever occurs first, from the original warranty start date. Many owners have posted that this recall solved their ABS light problem. My ABS/TC light intermittenly will light during the cold/wet months after an extended x-way drive. Then, of course the system is inoperative until I shut down and restart. Your problem/symptoms appear different. Check obvious connections/grounds/wheel sensor/exciter ring( I love that word)! Do a search under 99MO3 and you can read up.

on my 95 the light would come on mostly when it was wet or snowing but it was on more often than not. my mechanic simply blew out the abs sensors behind the wheels with compressed air. [they look like small gears] a lot of road dirt & grease gets on them. its been over 7 months and i havent seen the light since