Guess what happens when?

[Jeremy airjer W]

The recent ABS discussion brought to mind an Expedition that was towed into the shop. The customer complaint was the traction light and ABS light where on and the vehicle had no power. I started the vehicle and confirmed the lights where on. I went to pull it into the shop and the traction control activated immediately upon the vehicle moving. The 50' or so that I had to move the vehicle into the shop was very difficult because of the traction control being active.

Once in the shop it only took a few seconds to see that the right front wheel speed sensor was zero all the time. The traction control was seeing the other three wheels move and interpreted it as those three wheels as spinning. It then activated the brakes on those three wheels to stop them from spinning even though they where not.

Even though there where codes in the ABS system for wheel speed errors on the right front wheel it apparently wasn't enough to shut down the traction control. A new sensor resolved the issue.

It just seemed odd that the system that was meant to get you moving would essentially leave you stranded. Pushing the trac button on the dash made no difference.

[Dan189]

I like not having ABS, if you know how to pump brakes effectively, you're better off. Too bad they don't make new vehicles with an ABS free option.

[Jeremy airjer W]

There are many newer vehicles without ABS.

[BobT]

Quote:

if you know how to pump brakes effectively, you're better off.

I don't know if this is necessarily true. I think we believe we have better control and I'm with you but in side-by-side tests I'm betting the opposite proves to be the case overall. I know it took me a while to get comfortable using ABS brakes.

[deadeye]

I am a fan of not having ABS in my race/fun car but in a daily driver it is really quite a bit better most of the time.

In a true panic situation it will help more than it hurts. It saved my @$$ a couple times because I was able to steer while braking hard (someone running the same stop sign in rain and in snow). I am willing to say that I am a pretty decent driver but I am sure if I didn't have abs in those situations I would have had a couple of totaled vehicles.

With that Expedition I find it kind of odd that the failsafe wasn't just to turn off the controls. I suppose they figure its better to disable the vehicle than let the people drive around without the abs/traction control.

Oh, and I thought that all new vehicles coming out this year were required to have ABS/Traction/Stability Control? I am kind of surprised they didn't do that sooner.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I know there is a plan to require stability control but I thought the date was a little further out than 2011?

[Macgyver55]

I think the current one only includes SUVs.