How to fix ABS light, Traction Control, Stabilitrak: Fix Driving Problems & Repair Update! 

What was the issue?

I would start by checking for codes and then if there's nothing there, check the wiring.

Was wondering did you get the problem fixed I have the same problem right now

@@ybanyoubuildanation8131 hello! Mine ended up being my wheel harness (I think that’s what it’s called) so it was an easy fix. The harness was broke so when I turned it was making the noise!

You won't see any codes with any scanner that you buy at the store because they only check the engine and transmission. You need a Tech 2 or equivalent that's capable of checking the body control module. Any mechanic will have one and it's much cheaper than buying one since they are quite expensive

@@ChrisCamaro my homie runs a car shop an he had that big boy scanner an still nothing ?

@@donflaco713 You may not see the error live. You have to go into fault history to see what recent PIDs have been flagged. The problem with the TCS is if it's a wiring problem, you will have it fail while driving but then you park the car and the wires touch again and the system seems fine. That's why the fault history is often the only way to properly diagnose these issues

Yeah unfortunately all these systems require the wheel speed sensors so if they go, you've got nothing.

My 2011 Equinox lt dash warnings came on 2 weeks ago. Vehicle drives fine even at 75mph.

@@snatcher420 it will drive fine, you just no longer have all wheel drive. you basically have a front wheel drive until it's fixed

The TCS would not cause your car to stall and that's if it's working. If you're getting a TCS service light, then the TCS likely will not work, in which case it will not deliberately misfire either. So if the car is stalling or misfiring, it's something else. I would use a code scanner to look for engine codes.

@@ChrisCamaro thanks keep getting code po641 replace the tbs map tune up and fuel tank pressure sensor with no luck

And pedal sensor

@@markbailey1423 I looked up that code and it has to do with the 5V reference voltage on the A circuit inside the PCM. Basically there are several circuits inside your car's computer, just like in your house, how you have different circuits for your lights or your stove or whatever. 1 of those circuits inside the car's computer is out of spec. It's supposed to put out 5V but probably putting out 4.2 or something like that. This will affect whatever sensors are attached to circuit A so it could cause multiple failures. This isn't a component problem. Your sensors are fine. It's the computer. You need to replace your PCM.

@@ChrisCamaro thanks

It could be a fault speed sensor, or the quality of the wiring is starting to break down or, less commonly, a faulty steering angle sensor. I'd start by looking at the wiring since it's the only thing that isn't hidden from view. Also scan the BCM if you can get your mechanic to do that.

That sounds serious, like a scrambled OBDII data stream or something sending random commands across the bus. I wouldn't normally jump to conclusions or anything but if you've got door locks and downshifts at random, it would seem prudent to just try a components swap, starting with each of the computer modules (ECM, TCM, BCM). Whichever fixes the problem, I guess you could always sell the ones you didn't need. Seems better than getting in a car accident.

At least in the cars I've seen with TCS failure, all 3 lights come on including 1 that appears like a parking brake but it's not a parking brake. It's the ABS light.

@@ChrisCamarogotcha im still trying to figure out but just can

If the airbag light is also on (assuming there's nothing wrong with the airbag) then that doesn't sound like a TCS issue. It sounds more like what happens when you have a low battery that won't crank and a bunch of lights come up on the dash. You could check your charging system first and then if everything's good there, scan the car for codes.

When the suspension flexes and moves around as would be the case stopping, starting and turning, it causes the wire bundles coming from the wheel speed sensors to flex as well. If there are any flaws in any of the wires, this can cause an intermittent signal in that wire

Not 100% sure but I should think so. Many of these systems would not interfere with the higher priority of being able to actually drive the car.

Related to TCS err...

I think it is but not sure wth is going on. I replaced throttle body with new sensor new pedal with new sensor both ac Delco genuine gm products also put new coil packs on and still getting throttle and pedal sensor code have had it cleared did the battery unhook method still getting the code tho. Any ideas on what it is?

@@doaburnout1205 What's the actual code?

40 Canucks. He just had to replace a short section of faulty wiring.

It sounds like a sensor problem, especially if the electronic TB isn't in sync with the pedal but to be honest, you seem to have tried all the obvious. I'm not terribly familiar with how the throttle system works but maybe it needs a re-learn. Maybe the sensors are fine but after replacing them they need re-calibration. It's just a thought but I'd have to look into it to know more.

Yeah the lights suck but at least you won't lose control of the car so I'm glad the vid helped you on your commute!

Did you manage to fix the problem?pretty much the same happened to me after changing tires,stability and abs lights engage if i go on a bumpy road,and if go over 50 m/h the whole system turn of … i have code for abs wheel speed sensor,which i changed ,also changed the wheel hub but nothing happens …

Mine did the same thing after getting tires changed why would it mess it up?

@yordanhubev6837 @davidbryant5875 For me, it was the front left wheel bearing . there's a magnetic strip that the speed sensor makes contact with, and if that magnetic strip breaks away, it will give a failure because it no longer makes contact with the speed sensor , when they changed my tire the vibration of the impact gun must've been enough to fully knock off said magnetic strip and cause this problem. The solution is to replace the wheel bearings . Which I had to do because 2 months later, of course, commuting without these sensors, I noticed a weird humming sound coming from the front driver side , turns out my wheel bearing was going bad 👎 and needed to be replaced I had both front replaced and it set me back $540 . I bought the 2 front bearing from Auto Zone for $190, the set of 2 . And found a shop willing to install them .

Sorry what do you mean by engine performance?

@@ChrisCamaro I have been having issues with my ATS. Doing research, it brought me to your video. I think what he means is sometimes P0300 code is going off as well. My issues first started with a check engine light and oil leak. My regular mechanic I think new this was a can of worms and told to go to the dealership. He suggested new valve cover, and change the pcv hoses as they were bad. I go to dealer ship, they said only the pcv hoses were my issue. Next day, my car started shaking, stabililok , ABS and TC lights came on. CEL was flashing. they turned off but when speeding up and slowing down, it would feel like it was mis-firing and I confirmed with a scanner. I called dealership and they said it's a new issue and bring the car in and tow as I should not drive it. I said it was fine until after they touched it. But I beat them down on the repair charge as I said the car leaked 2 years ago and the broke the hoses and cheaply fixed it rather than replace when it was under warranty. I found oil in the ignition coil pockets. I cleaned them out a few days ago and it drives a little better, no lights came on now but if I hit the gas, it is rough and stutters a bit. So I am back to changing the gaskets and pcv valves as there could be vacuum issue. I still don't know why they lights all came on, so I have your video to keep an eye one because maybe the dealership damaged the harness when they said they washed the underside of car when looking for oil leak. Car ran much better with CEL light, oil leaking and pcv hoses broken.

Your car will be like a car without ABS or traction control. It will be as safe as a car without those features. Changing ABS sensors will only work if you change the correct wheel that has the problem or if the problem is at the wheel. If the problem is the wire loom going back to the computer, you have to diagnose it there.

Did you find out what the issue was

@@dnh1107 sorry I was out of town ,no internet, so my mechanic went through every possible connector, inspected, observed, dielectric grease, disconnected battery, had several codes before, checked wheel sensors, reconnected battery, and boom. Kmock on wood. No issues, driven over 750 miles since, runs like a raped ape. Idk, best of all, no charge, they tinkered with between jobs, they had a power outage and I let them keep for 3 days as I didnt need. I guess a loose fitting connector is the best diagnosis!

@@patricwagner7147 okay. Very interesting. I'm going to head in that direction. Thank you.

@@dnh1107 believe me, I am still boggled! But am happy

If it were me, I'd first pull the fuse going to the ABS motors to disable the system, since it's obviously a hazard to drive like that. Then it depends on how loyal you are to the existing mechanic. If you don't mind going elsewhere, they should be able to tell you what code the BCM is throwing (ie, which wheel or if the steeling wheel, etc). Then repairs should be easy after that. If you stick with the current guy, tell him to show you his Tech II scan results, so he's not BS'ing you. If it's just a wheel speed sensor, as it often is, you can tell him to check the wire loom condition coming from that wheel and if it's in good shape and has electrical continuity, then maybe the wheel hub just needs replacement. If the hub is old, then that's likely the problem.

@@ChrisCamaro yes I’ll definitely take of that fuse off temporarily so I can stop that from happening first and yes I am going to attempt to go to this local shop that fixed my steering wheel and see if they can try I’ll just tell him what I have been experiencing with the truck locking, stuttering and pulsating the brakes I’m just really hoping it gets fixed but do you think this might be a permanent problem I’ll have to deal with forever or should it be an easy fix from my mechanic ?

@@arnoldgamez2408 Oh it's repairaable but it's one of those 90% labour, 10% parts deal if it's not just an old wheel hub. Mine was diagnosed in about 10 minutes out of sheer luck but it can take hours if the problem isn't obvious. It definitely helps to scan first, as this cuts the work down to about 25%

My 07 tb ls gets lights on dash but no change in any drivability.

Hey man same issue in my impala it’s the abs harness not the hub , I’m going to unplug my fuse

If the check engine came on then there may be something in the ECM that's wrong and the TCS system lights coming on "could" be a red herring. To known for sure, definitely use a scanner because it will pick up whatever is causing the check engine light. From there you might get a clue if that code is in some way related to the traction lights.

@@ChrisCamaro Hooked up an OBD reader to it and just got an "Invalid input from ECM" Code on it. Pretty vague but I'll investigate further

Check for water in your fuel My chevy express 3500 suffered the problem of water contaminated fuel. Causing the engine to stutter and misfire. That triggered the stabilitrac/traction. control error message. Total fail by Chevy engineering 👎😡

@@jolujo5842 How did you come to the point of checking the fuel? I wouldn't have even suspected it.

It's a stupid way of saying that the signal coming from that wheel speed sensor doesn't make sense (either because it's shorted high or low or erratic but anything other than normal). It's probably a wiring issue similar to what caused my fault. If the wheel hub has a lot of miles on it, it could need replacement. Otherwise it could be the wire loom connecting it to the computer. If your wheel hub is old and worn, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just change it and see if the problem goes away. If not, at least a) you can focus on the wiring and b) you have a new wheel hub that you probably needed anyway.

My personal experience with my own camaro has been that when you get an error, you get lots of them. I did a whole video on that. The computer just freaks out and you get lights that don't really mean anything. Mind you, I have a 2013, which is based on the zeta platform. Your 2017 is built on the alpha platform (Cadillac ATS with a different shell), so it's probably not parts compatible. Still I find these cars pretty flaky. I only bought mine for the LS3 and the retro look lol. Fuck the rest. I wouldn't mind just pulling every fuse in the box and driving it around like a 60s car :P

I don't think any of the work you had done would cause those symptoms. It sounds like you have the same problem that I discuss in this video. 1 of the wheel speed sensors is either bad or the wiring going back to the computer is bad, or 1 of the tires is flat, or the steering angle sensor is not reporting correct values. In order to know for sure, you need to get a mechanic to scan the car and see if it is throwing any codes. You can also follow the advice in this video to do a visual check of the wiring yourself.

Yeah. Even the new cars have BSR issues but the powertrains are always solid.

How do you mean possessed?

If the brakes are soft then there's air in the lines. That's not related to the TCS. I would have them bled and checked for leaks.

Happy to help!

The problem is, the ABS, traction control, etc is all part of the BCM (Body Control Module) and most scanners don't have access to that. Mechanics have a tool that can scan it though so your best bet at finding the problem electronically is to ask the mechanic to check.

Are you a "spirited" driver? Because you have a mustang and you're talking about accelerating, this may just be the traction control working normally and perhaps the tires are old or getting bald. I wore out my stock Camaro tires from 2013 all the way to 2021 until the steel bands were exposed on both sides (stupid... never do that) and the car slid all over the place. I'm not saying this is you but after most of the rubber is gone, torqey muscle cars will break away quite easily from a stand still.

@@ChrisCamaro ahhh I see what you’re saying. But the tires are only about 2 months old. I’m only talking “merge onto the Highway” acceleration. Like drop from 5th to 4th to switch lanes, and there’s a slight rumble/skid feeling for a second or two when I press the gas pedal but scrubs off as the car accelerates. I’m not talking slamming the pedal., just moderate everyday situation driving. Fairly new car. What do u think? 😵‍💫

@@BirchKing8 If the car is new and you're not mashing it, maybe it's a tire diameter discrepancy. Are all tires inflated equally? Sometimes low pressure on 1 tire can throw the computer off.

If you haven't found luck tracking the issue down as I have done in the video, the next option would be to ask a mechanic to use their Tech II tool to scan the body control module (BCM), which will let you know if one of the wheel speed sensors is malfunctioning or if those are all fine, something else perhaps.

@@ChrisCamaro thanks Chris, I’ll see a mechanic and see what he has to say. Catch ya later. Thanks

Yes. Have a look to see if that's the case before doing anything else.

It's normal for the lights to come on when the system is active and working. You should only be concerned if it's coming on when it's obviously not supposed to (abs when you're not braking, TCS when the roads have good traction, etc).

@@ChrisCamaro it came on when i did the little slide. but its still on. ha ha..

Oh then if it's still on it wouldn't hurt to scan the car and see which wheel is doing it or if it's something else entirely.

Always welcome

It won't do anything bad to the car except that you won't have any Traction or ABS. I would say it's about as safe as driving a car made 20 years ago that didn't have these features.

Uhhh you're going to look pretty stupid when anyone removes those 2 fuses and their "auto" (you mean car?) does start and drive perfectly fine. Don't smear misinformation on my channel please. I hate that.

No problem. I figured people would want to know what a mechanic might find when they fix this kind of issue.